


Crash and Slow Burn

by supernatural9917



Series: Crash and Slow Burn [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Bromance to Romance, Drug Addict Sam Winchester, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gabriel Being Gabriel, Good Crowley (Supernatural), M/M, Police Officer Benny Lafitte, Police Officer Bobby Singer, Police Officer Dean, Slow Burn, Social Worker Castiel, car crash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-02-26 00:55:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 66,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13224816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernatural9917/pseuds/supernatural9917
Summary: Dean Winchester crashes his car and is rescued by Castiel Novak. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A million thanks to the fab athaclena for her beta prowess as always.
> 
> I intend to post on a weekly schedule.

_12 September, 2003_

Dean drove like a maniac. That was often true when he got behind the wheel of his baby, a pristine 1967 Chevrolet Impala inherited from his father when he was twenty years old; he knew he shouldn’t, especially since, as a cop, he should be setting a good example, but sometimes the siren song of an empty country road in the middle of the night was just too tempting to resist.

This was not one of those times. This was one of the times when he drove like a maniac because he was so desperate with grief that his speed didn’t even register. It had been like that when Sam had left for college and when dad had died. And now he had just left Sam for a second stint in rehab, fucking heroin now, because apparently oxy hadn’t been enough this time around. He could still hear Sam shouting and swearing at him as he walked out of the clinic, already suffering from withdrawal and miserable as hell, but Dean wasn’t about to let Sam just kill himself on that shit without at least trying to get him cleaned up. He was supposed to take care of Sam, that was his job after their mom had died, and he needed to do it whether Sam wanted him to or not.

It wasn’t really that late in the grand scheme of things- just past eleven, he should be able to make it back to Lawrence in another hour if he drove hard- but there wasn’t much traffic on the road. The few cars that did get in his way were swiftly overtaken with a roar of the 275 horsepower engine. It started to rain about half an hour from home, but that didn’t slow him down. He was going nearly ninety when he overtook a gold Lincoln Continental, but he had barely gotten two more miles down the road when the tires slid on an oil slick, made greasier by the rain.

Distracted as he was, Dean overcorrected, slid the other way, and suddenly he was spinning out of control and going over the side of the road into a deep ditch. The Impala flipped over, the old-style lap belt insufficient to prevent him banging his head on the roof and the door as she rolled. The car finally came to a juddering stop upside down, and Dean passed out.

The next thing he knew, there was shouting, and he cracked open an eye only to be blinded by a flashlight. ‘Hey, are you OK?’ said a deep, gravelly voice. Dean tried to speak, but he just heard himself grunt. ‘I’ve called 911. Don’t worry, I have first responder training. I can stabilise you until they get here.’ The man, Dean assumed, carefully opened the door and felt around Dean’s neck and head for injuries.

‘Spine’s ok,’ Dean managed to say, ‘I can feel everything.’ The man nodded and took hold of his shoulders, bending him upward so the blood stopped rushing to his head. With surprising strength, he kept Dean steady while he unbuckled the seat belt, and managed to pull him carefully out of the car. It was just in time, as the change in weight caused the Impala to slide further down the embankment, ending up on its side.  

‘Your right leg is broken, and I think your collarbone too. The shin bone has broken the skin, I’m going to pour some alcohol on it and cover it to prevent infection. Is that OK? It’s going to hurt.’ Dean nodded, feeling like he was drifting in and out of consciousness. He figured he was going into shock, but he seemed to be in good hands. The alcohol hurt like a bitch, but it at least let him pass out for a few seconds. When he came to, the man was wrapping him in a blanket, having also recognised the symptoms of shock. He grabbed the man’s hand as it went to tuck a corner of the blanket.

‘Are you my guardian angel?’ he asked groggily. He heard a wry chuckle.

‘No, I’m just the guy who saw your car go off the road.’ The stranger kept holding onto Dean’s hand until the ambulance arrived. The paramedics had bright lights with them, and that allowed Dean to see the face of his saviour. Bright blue eyes smiled over him as the paramedics strapped him to the gurney. ‘You’re going to be fine now.’

‘Thank you,’ Dean called out as he was carried to the ambulance. ‘Thank you!’ The man waved and Dean fell into unconsciousness again.

When he awoke, he was aware of tubes, lights, beeping, and then of a large shape jumping up from the chair next to the bed.

‘Dean, brother, you awake?’ The familiar drawl of his partner brought a smile to Dean’s face.

‘Hey Benny,’ he croaked. ‘How you doin’?’

‘Been worried as hell about you, brother. It’s Monday, you’ve been out for two days.’ Dean groaned and tried to sit up, but Benny held him down with a firm hand. ‘You just stay there, bud. Your leg is in traction from a compound fracture, and you’ve got a broken collarbone.’

‘That’s what the angel said,’ Dean mumbled.

‘Angel?’

‘The guy who got me out of the car. Oh god, my poor baby. Is she OK?’

‘Not gonna lie, she’s pretty smashed up, but I’m sure you can fix her up good as new once you’re healed yourself.’ Dean nodded, feeling groggy from the pain medication. ‘By the way, Ellen and Jo said hi, said they’ll bring you some food from The Roadhouse once you get home. Bobby and Karen have come back from their vacation and should be stopping in sometime too. I’ll let them all know you’re awake.’

‘Thanks, I hope I didn’t make them worry too much.’ Suddenly Dean sat up, then grimaced in pain and flopped back down. ‘Sam. Benny, you can’t tell Sam. I just got him checked in, he can’t know I’m here.’

‘Don’t worry, Sam doesn’t know. You can tell him when you’re ready.’

‘Thanks Benny. Man, I feel out of it, what have they got me on?’

‘Morphine drip.’

Dean’s eyes went wide. ‘No, Benny, you gotta make them stop, I don’t want that poison in me.’ Benny kept his grip firm as Dean started to thrash around.

‘Calm down, brother. It’s only temporary, they’ll wean you off it over the next couple of days and put you on something less strong.’

‘I don’t want any opiates,’ he said firmly.

‘Dean, you’re seriously fucked up, man. Take the pain meds for now. You’re not Sam.’ Dean nodded and relaxed back onto the bed just as there was a knock on the door. A pretty young nurse popped her head in.

‘Mr Winchester, I’m so pleased to see you awake. You have another visitor if you feel up for it.’

‘Is my visitor as pretty as you?’ Dean asked with a smile. Benny chuckled and the nurse gave him a cheeky grin in reply.

‘Clearly you’re feeling better. I’ll let him in.’ She stepped back out and was replaced by a man bearing a balloon that said ‘Get Well Soon!’ He wore a suit, a blue tie, and a trenchcoat, and something about his messy hair and blue eyes seemed familiar to Dean.

‘Hello Mr Winchester. I hope you don’t mind me coming by.’ It was the voice that did it, and Dean smiled as widely as he could with the bruises on his face.

‘It’s you! Benny, this is my guardian angel, the guy who saved me.’

The man blushed and waved away the compliment. ‘I just called 911, they’re the ones who saved you.’

‘No way, man, you got me out of the car before it slid down, I could’ve been crushed. You were amazing.’

‘I’m just glad I could help. Here, this is for you.’ He set the balloon next to the bed, and Dean smiled.

‘Thanks! I’m Dean, but I guess you figured that out.’

‘Yes, I followed the ambulance to make sure you were ok and make my statement to the police. They told me you were one of their own, they were all very worried about you.’ Dean kept looking at him expectantly, and the stranger blushed again. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten my manners, my name is Castiel Novak.’

‘That’s a big name for a guy on morphine to say, mind if I just call you Cas?’

The blue eyes crinkled with a smile. ‘Cas will be fine, Mr Winchester.’

‘Dean.’

‘Dean.’

‘This is my partner, Benny.’ Castiel shook the broad-shouldered man’s hand. ‘Afraid he’ll be riding solo for a while though.’

‘Don’t you worry ‘bout me, brother, I’ll be fine. You just worry about getting better. Anyway, I’d best get going, or Andrea will have my guts for garters. Take care, Dean. Nice to meet you Castiel, and thanks for helping my buddy here.’ They shook hands again and Benny left.

‘Perhaps I should let you rest.’

‘Nah, it’s fine, sit a while. I’ve spent two days asleep, I could do with some being awake.’

‘If you’re sure.’

Dean nodded and Castiel sat down. ‘So did you just happen to be in the neighbourhood?’

‘I actually work within the hospital complex. I’m a social worker with family services.’

‘You work with troubled kids and stuff?’

‘I deal with dependent adults, mainly people with learning difficulties or severe disabilities.’

‘That’s amazing, man. Must be a hard job.’

‘It can be, but very rewarding as well. And yourself, what type of police work do you do?’

‘Just a beat cop for now, but I’m hoping for vice.’ Castiel’s lips turned up in a grin, and Dean laughed when he realised how it had come out. ‘I mean, when I go for detective I hope to be assigned to the vice squad. Taking out drug dealers and pimps is awesome.’

‘A noble calling,’ Castiel agreed. ‘How long have you been a police officer?’

‘About five years. Worked for a few years after high school, then went to the academy when I was twenty-one. How about you, been a social worker long?’

‘I started right after getting my masters about three years ago.’ Castiel looked around as if looking for something. ‘Has your family not been informed that you’re awake?’

‘Not really got any. Parents are gone, just have a younger brother.’ Dean paused, his face contorting in what Castiel assumed was pain from his injuries. ‘He’s, uh, he’s travelling right now, so he can’t make it back.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. I imagine that can be a bit lonely.’ Dean wasn’t sure what to say to that. ‘I have a very large family, although there are times when I wish it were rather smaller. My mother is a sprightly seventy-seven-year-old, and I have six siblings.’

‘Geez, what are you Mormons or something?’

‘Catholic. Hence the unusual name. My siblings and I are all named after biblical characters or angels.’

‘Which are you?’

‘The latter.’

‘Ha! I said you were my guardian angel!’

Castiel laughed. ‘I’m actually the angel of Thursdays.’

‘There’s an angel of Thursdays?’

‘Apparently. I was born on a Thursday, so that’s what I got stuck with. Still, I didn’t get the worst name. That honour belongs to poor Samandriel, although he usually just goes by Sam.’

Dean gave a small, sad smile. ‘My brother’s called Sam too. But it’s short for Samuel, not Samandriel. Geez, that poor kid, do your parents hate you guys?’

Castiel laughed again. ‘No, they’re just very devout. Michael is the oldest, then Gabriel, then me, Hester, Sam, Hannah and Luke.’

‘And are you from Lawrence originally?’

‘No, Wichita. I was transferred here six months ago. You?’

‘Born and raised. My mom Mary died when I was a kid and Sam was a baby, so it was just us and our dad John. He had been a Marine, and he worked in a garage when I was growing up. He died about a year ago, heart attack.’ The memory caused Dean to choke up a bit.

‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ Castiel said warmly, putting his hand over Dean’s.

‘I bet you’re a good social worker. You’ve got the empathy thing down.’

Castiel smiled, giving Dean’s hand a squeeze before releasing it. ‘I do my best. Speaking of which, I should probably go back to the office, my lunch break is almost over. I wish you a very speedy recovery, Dean. It was very nice to meet you under slightly less unpleasant circumstances.’

‘You too, Cas. Hey, feel free to come visit any time. I think I’m stuck here for a few days and it would be nice to have some company.’

‘I will. I can stop by before I head home this evening, if you like.’

‘That would be cool, if you have time. Any chance you could sneak me some contraband?’

‘Contraband?’

Dean curled his finger to indicate that Castiel should come closer, so he leaned forward over the railing of the bed. ‘Reese’s Cups and real coffee.’

Castiel tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially. ‘You can count on me, Officer.’

True to his word, Castiel arrived at Dean’s room at five-thirty bearing the requested items.

‘Hey Cas, what’s up? Besides my penis.’

‘I’m sorry, what?’

Dean laughed. ‘Oh, sorry man, I’ve been saying that since I was like twelve. Don’t mind me.’

‘OK then. Besides your penis, what’s up is that I’ve brought your requested contraband.’ Dean clapped happily when Castiel handed over the goods and immediately unwrapped the Reese’s cups. He moaned pornographically as he bit into the chocolate. ‘Keep it down please, the nurses might think this is a conjugal visit.’

Dean gave him a chocolatey grin. ‘After two days not eating and one day of disgusting hospital food, it almost feels like it!’

They fell into easy conversation as Dean sipped the hot coffee and nibbled on the candy. Castiel regaled him with tales of growing up in a house with seven children, and Dean reciprocated with stories of the road trips with his dad and Sam in the Impala. They only realised how much time had passed when a nurse came around to give Dean his medication and informed them that visiting hours were nearly over.

‘I can come by tomorrow if you’d like any further _items_ ,’ Castiel said with a wink.

‘Snickers next time,’ Dean whispered dramatically.

‘Yes sir,’ Castiel agreed with a salute, and turned sharply on his heel to march out the door.

**********

Dean woke up from a nap to the sound of the door opening, followed quickly by a gruff voice saying, ‘Ya goddamn idjit.’

‘Hi Bobby,’ Dean said sheepishly. Captain Bobby Singer ran the precinct, which made him Dean’s boss, but he’d also known Dean since the younger man was in diapers. He had been John Winchester’s partner back when they were just beat cops, and he and his wife Karen had helped looked after the boys after Mary’s death. At this moment, however, he looked less jovial adoptive uncle and more angry boss, or possibly wrathful god.

‘Goddamn idjit. I finally manage to go on vacation for the first time in half a decade, and I come back to find out you’ve gone and almost killed yourself driving like a fucking maniac. What the hell’s gotten into you, boy?’

‘I’m sorry Bobby. It was Sam. I finally managed to get him back into rehab.’

‘Are you serious? How?’

‘I found out where he and Ruby were staying in Wichita. I gave her 500 bucks to convince him to check himself into the clinic so I wouldn’t need a court order. He was so strung out when I picked him up that he barely registered where I was taking him. By the time I left he was sobering up and started trying to fight me, but by then he’d already agreed to a twelve-week programme. That was the night of my accident.’ Bobby carefully sat down on the chair next to Dean’s bed and put a hand on his shoulder.

‘Jesus, Dean. You could have waited until I got back, I could’ve helped.’

‘I had to act fast, Bobby. Ruby was totally flaky, I had to do it while she was cooperating.’

‘You know what she’s going to do with the money.’

‘Hopefully buy a shit-ton of bad dope and OD on it, the fucking bitch.’

‘Dean, come on. If nothing else you know that would mess Sam up pretty bad.’

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, only slightly ashamed of himself. ‘It’s her fault Sammy got into that shit in the first place, Bobby. He was doing OK until he met her. I’d happily kill her myself except that she’s not worth going to jail for.’

‘I understand, son. But we don’t know what got her into it in the first place. It’s not Sam’s fault how things happened, it may not have been her fault either.’

‘Fine. I don’t actively wish for her horrible death, but I’m not gonna cry if it happens either.’

‘That’s fair. So how are you feeling otherwise? In much pain?’

‘I’m not too bad. The doctor said that my treatment at the scene was top notch. Cas stopped the bleeding in my leg, so I barely needed any transfusion, and he stabilised me well enough before the paramedics came that I didn’t go into shock and all the crap that comes with that.’

‘Who’s Cas?’

‘Oh, he’s my guardian angel.’

‘How much morphine they given you, boy?’ Dean laughed.

‘Castiel is the guy who saw me go off the road and rescued me out from Baby. He’s named after an angel ‘cause his parents are freaks or something. I call him Cas because Castiel is a weird name.’

‘Well, I’d like to shake his hand sometime.’

‘I’m sure you’ll get to meet him, he’s a social worker and he’s coming to visit me later because he works around here somewhere.’

‘I’ve got to head back to the precinct now, but hopefully I’ll get to meet him soon.’

‘He’s a cool guy, you’ll like him.’

‘He’s already doin’ pretty good in my books. Do you want me to check on Sam?’

‘You can call the clinic, but please don’t talk to him. I don’t want to tell him about the accident yet. I’ll call him in a couple days.’

‘Sure, son. You take care of yourself, I’ll talk to you later.’

‘Thanks, Bobby.’

**********

When Castiel returned, he brought an entire bag of fun size Snickers, which meant Dean could munch on them whenever he felt like it, and they passed a pleasant lunch hour with Castiel eating his sandwich and Dean forcing down something that was either cream of chicken soup or custard; he was disturbed to find that eating it did not settle the question. When Castiel returned in the evening, Dean had been upgraded to more solid fare, but the animal from which the mystery meat had originated remained in question. They continued to chat away quite happily, and at times even received a stern warning from the nurses that their raucous laughter was disturbing other patients in the ward.

The next day, Castiel found a particularly cheerful Dean greeting him. ‘The doctor just told me I can go home tomorrow!’

‘That’s great news! Although my lunch breaks will be significantly more tedious now.’

‘Hey, I’m still going to be laid up for like three months, so I’ll probably be on MSN Messenger all day forcing people to entertain me. Sign on during your lunch break and I can tell you lots more hilarious stories about Sammy to make you shoot milk out your nose.’

Castiel smiled. ‘Has he managed to get back to see you yet?’

Dean’s features clouded. ‘Uh, no. He won’t be able to come home for a while.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame. I take it he’s travelling somewhere far. Backpacking through Europe or something?’

‘No. Um, actually, he’s not really travelling. He’s… well, he’s in rehab in Wichita.’

‘Oh. I’m sorry Dean, I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to talk about it.’

Dean shrugged. ‘Hey, you probably know all about this sort of thing. Maybe you could give me some advice sometime. He… when he was just starting his senior year at Stanford, there was a fire in his apartment building. His girlfriend died and he was badly injured. He recovered physically, but mentally he was a wreck, and he got hooked on the pain meds they gave him.’

Castiel nodded sagely. ‘I’m guessing oxycontin?’

‘Yep. Not long after that, our dad died, and he went off the rails completely. I got him into rehab and he was doing ok, but he got involved with one of the other patients there. They got an apartment together, and after a few months, the two of them were using again. Heroin this time. I managed to get him away from that bitch, and I was just coming back from putting him in rehab again when I had my crash.’

‘Ahh,’ Castiel said as if the puzzle pieces were all fitting into place. ‘That’s why you were going like a bat out of hell down that road. When you passed me I did wonder what you were in such a hurry to get to, but I guess you were in a hurry to get _from_.’

‘Dude, was that you in the pimpmobile?’ Dean smirked.

‘The Lincoln Continental is a very classy car,’ Castiel argued.

‘Not when it’s gold and lowered, Huggy Bear.’

‘Fine, I won’t offer to drive you home tomorrow then.’

‘Aw, don’t be like that. I’m sure the purple velour seats are really comfortable for an invalid like me.’

Castiel rolled his eyes. ‘The seats are beige leather, and very comfortable. I’m off work tomorrow, so just let me know what time to pick you up if you want a ride.’ Dean gave him a genuine smile.

‘Thanks Cas, that’s really nice of you. I’m getting a last set of X-rays first thing in the morning, so I should be done by lunchtime. Do you want to give me your number so I can call you?’ They exchanged numbers and settled into their respective lunches. ‘Hey, why are you off on a Thursday anyway?’ Dean asked with a mouth full of what he was almost eighty percent certain was tuna casserole.

Castiel blushed and looked away. ‘Oh, well, it’s actually my birthday tomorrow.’

‘Dude, no way! Happy birthday! How old will you be?’

'Thirty-two.’

‘Haha! So is the Lincoln your mid-life crisis car or your old man car?’ Dean teased.

‘Very funny, Dean. How old are you?’

‘I’ll be twenty-eight in January.’

Castiel squinted and shook a finger at Dean. ‘Then you should have more respect for your elders, you young whippersnapper. You’re not too grown up to put over my knee you, know.’ Dean laughed so hard he nearly choked on the probably-tuna.

The next day, armed with a loaner wheelchair, a sling cradling his right arm, and the strongest non-opiate pain medication mediocre public servant insurance could buy, Dean was manhandled into the backseat of Castiel’s Lincoln. The seats were actually quite comfortable, and as long as Castiel kept the hydraulics switched off, the ride was pretty smooth too. Castiel had even made a special effort to produce a mixtape with pimp-themed songs, but sadly Dean lived close enough to the hospital that they only got through 'Big Pimpin’ and 'Got Your Money' before Castiel was pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex. It turned out that Castiel really had been as strong as Dean had foggily remembered from the night of the accident. He managed to get Dean out of the car and up the short flight of stairs to his apartment with little difficulty.

‘Shit, Cas, are you some kind of secret superhero? What do you bench?’

‘I have no idea. I used to row in college, and I do calisthenics every morning to keep fit.’

‘Calisthenics? I knew you were old, but I didn’t realise you were from the 1950s.’

‘Haha. Just open the door, smartass.’ Castiel got Dean settled in on the couch, and then ignored Dean’s protests to go pick up groceries. He returned with a variety of options that would be easy for Dean to prepare by himself one-handed if he needed to, although he already had several friends lined up to look in on him in the first couple of weeks. Castiel also allowed himself one indulgence- a small birthday cake for them to share. ‘Dude, I feel bad, you shouldn’t have to buy your own birthday cake!’

‘Nobody else was going to do it.’

‘What about your millions of siblings?’

‘They’re scattered around, I only really see them on major holidays now. My birthday doesn’t qualify.’

‘How about the other people in your office?’

‘They don’t even know it’s my birthday.’

‘That sucks, dude. OK, I’ll get your cake next year then.’

‘Please Dean, we’ve just met, I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.’

Dean picked a frosting flower off the cake and threw it at Castiel. ‘Ass.’

‘Please don’t desecrate my birthday cake, it’s the only one I’ve got. Plus I love those frosting bits.’ Dean stuck out his tongue, and they shared the remaining cake over more good-natured bickering.

The next day Castiel was back at work, and to his shock, there was a Happy Birthday banner over his desk and a big cake on the break room table. He even had to endure singing and a pointy hat during the morning coffee break. He knew exactly who was to blame for these indignities. At lunchtime he signed on to MSN.

 

**Impala67: Hey Cas! Wassup? Besides my penis! ;)**

**AngelofThursday: I know how to dispose of your body so it will never be found.**

**Impala67: You probably shouldn’t tell me that,  I’m a cop, remember?**

**AngelofThursday: They made me wear a party hat, Dean. A party hat. They sang Happy Birthday.**

**Impala67: Who did?**

**AngelofThursday: My work colleagues of course.**

**Impala67: What does that have to do with putting my corpse in a woodchipper?**

**AngelofThursday: You would be begging for the woodchipper in the face of what I would do.**

**Impala67: Yeah, remember the bit where I’m a cop?**

**AngelofThursday: And the only person in Lawrence who knows my birthday AND knows where I work.**

**Impala67: I bet the IRS knows.**

**AngelofThursday: Weak.**

**Impala67: Hey, I just thought you deserved some attention for your birthday besides just having sad supermarket cake with some asshole.**

**AngelofThursday: You’re not just some asshole. You’re the king asshole, and I will have my revenge.**

**Impala67: I’m actually kinda scared now.**

**AngelofThursday: Be afraid, Dean. Be very afraid.**

**Gotta go, lunch break’s over.**

**Impala67: See ya, Cas.**

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean begins his recovery, they both gets dates, and sometimes Cas gets the references.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta, athaclena, pointed out that it was unclear when they were chatting online and when they were texting, so I've added usernames for the times when they're chatting online; without usernames, it's texting. You'll notice that Cas likes changing his visible username every so often ;)

Thanks to Benny’s efforts, a rota was arranged between himself, Ellen and Jo, Bobby and Karen, and Castiel (who had insisted on being included) for Dean’s first few weeks out of hospital. Dean was not consulted, because as Ellen explained to him, his opinion was irrelevant in the matter. He only protested half-heartedly, because he’d only been home one day and he was already bored; the company would be very welcome, not that he was going to admit that to them anytime soon. Benny took his turn on Friday night.

‘Have you told Sam about your accident yet?’ Benny asked as he sliced up the pizza he’d cooked in Dean’s oven.

‘I called this morning. I was vague about the timing, didn’t want him to think it was his fault.’

‘How was he?’ Dean accepted the plate and set it on his lap.

‘He sounded a little better. The worst of the withdrawal’s over, and he’s on methadone. He was apologetic about trying to punch me, so that’s something.’

‘What did he say about the wreck?’

‘He was worried, asked if I had anyone to help me. I told him I had you, Ellen, Jo, Bobby and Cas at my beck and call, so he didn’t need to worry.’

‘You told him about Cas?’

‘Sure, why wouldn’t I?’ Benny shrugged. ‘What?’

‘Nuthin’. You guys just got close real fast, is all.’

‘Aw, are you jealous buddy? Don’t worry, you’ll always be my number one bromance.’

‘Damn right.’ Dean grinned and stuffed more pizza into his mouth, but his awkwardness with his left hand meant getting sauce all over his face like a toddler. ‘You could take normal sized bites, you know,’ Benny grumbled, wiping Dean’s face with a napkin.

‘Thanks, Dad, but I can clean my own face.’

Benny gave him a little smile. ‘Well, I figured I should start practicing.’ Dean’s eyes went wide.

‘Dude! When’s Andrea due?’

‘End of April.’

‘That’s awesome man, I’m so happy for you! And hey, don’t worry, you only need to give him a _middle_ name of Dean, I’m humble.’

 **********

Castiel came by Saturday morning for his turn, bearing beer and enough Chinese food to last Dean for lunch and dinner. His reason for coming earlier in the day was soon clear.

‘I have a date tonight,’ Castiel explained as he tried to make the noodles from the Chinese takeout box coincide in the same space and time as his mouth with his very poor chopstick-using ability.

‘Dude, that’s fuckin’ awesome!’ Dean said, offering up a high five that Castiel utterly sucked at taking. ‘Tell Uncle Dean all about it.’

‘Her name is Daphne. I met her when I was hiking the other week.’

‘When were you hiking?’ Dean asked incredulously, as if he’d never heard of such a bizarre activity as Castiel hiking.

‘I was on my way to my hiking trip when you had your accident.’

Dean shook his head as he stuffed a spring roll into his mouth. ‘Cas, you’re like an onion.’

Castiel tilted his head in a way Dean had come to understand as his way of showing confusion. ‘I smell bad?’

‘No, I mean-‘

‘I make you cry?’

Dean rolled his eyes. ‘OK, you get the reference. You have layers, dumbass. Every time I think I’ve got you figured out, you throw something new out there, like “I perform calisthenics each morning” and “I pick up girls while hiking after saving dumbasses who speed their cars off the road” or whatever.’

‘If it makes you feel any better, I hadn’t planned to do either. Daphne and I just ended up on the same trail and started chatting, and next thing I know she’s giving me her number and we’ve made plans for dinner.’

‘So is she hot?’

‘She’s a very attractive woman, yes.’

‘Nice boobs?’

‘You’re a pig, Dean Winchester.’

‘That’s not an answer.’

Castiel shrugged and stabbed at the noodles again. ‘I’m more of a leg man myself.’ 

**********

**Impala67: How did it go, big boy?**

**AngelofThursday: Very well, thank you. We had a nice dinner and good conversation.**

**Impala67: And?**

**AngelofThursday: And we have a date for next weekend.**

**Impala67: Aaaaand?**

**AngelofThursday: Aaaaand what?**

**Impala67: Did you get to second base?**

**AngelofThursday: I’ve never understood baseball analogies for sexual activity.**

**Impala67: That’s not an answer.**

**AngelofThursday: I’m not aware of what ‘second base’ refers to, but she did allow me to give her a brief goodnight kiss.**

**Impala67: Any tongue?**

 

**AngelofThursday: Seriously, Dean?**

**Impala67: Humor me, I’m an invalid without even a neighbour at the opposite window murdering people to keep me entertained.**

**  
**

**AngelofThursday: No tongue.**

**Impala67: Bummer, dude. Maybe next time.**

**********

 

Castiel’s second date with Daphne on Wednesday went very well; on his Thursday visit, he was able to report back that there was tongue, and, upon clarification of what it meant, that second base had indeed been achieved. Dean high-fived him, and he did slightly better at it this time. Dean also had some interesting news.

‘Remember Cassie, that cute nurse who shouted at us a lot?’ Dean asked eagerly.

‘I think so. What about her?’

Dean flashed a pink Post-It note. ‘Went in for a follow-up appointment today. Got her number.’

Castiel offered the high five this time, and Dean showed him how it was done. ‘Nice work. I wish you the best of luck reaching second base.’

‘Fuck, man, I’m hoping for a lot more than that.’

Castiel pointedly stared at the cast and the sling. ‘How?’

‘She’ll have to take the reins, obviously. I don’t mind though, I like when a girl takes charge.’

‘Wouldn’t it be rushing things a bit?’

‘Duh, the faster the better! It’s been over three weeks since my accident.’

‘What does that have to do with anything?’

‘Dude,’ Dean said meaningfully, using his left hand to point at the slinged-up right arm, ‘I’m right-handed.’

Castiel felt that Dean only had himself to blame for the beer that sprayed all over his cast.

**********

**Impala67: Good morning Cas. A very good morning. :-D**

**AngelofThursday: How was your date? Desired baseball analogies achieved?**

**Impala67: Dude. So hot. Totally worth the pain.**

**AngelofThursday: You’re in pain from your date?**

**Impala67: I may have overextended myself a bit.**

**Lucky she’s a nurse! A naughty, naughty nurse.**

**AngelofThursday: I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it next time I see you.**

**Whether I want you to or not.**

**Impala67: Correct. When’s your turn to play Nurse Ratched?**

**AngelofThursday: Who?**

**Impala67: Dammit, watch a damn movie sometime Cas.**

**AngelofThursday: I saw Shrek. And many Disney princess films. My nieces love them.**

**Impala67: Grown up movies, Cas.**

**AngelofThursday: I don’t have the same interest in pornography that you do, Dean. :-P**

**Impala67: :-P yourself! Anyway, when are you coming over?**

**AngelofThursday: I’ll be there Tuesday and Wednesday. I switched for Sunday with Benny because Daphne and I**

**are going away for the weekend.**

**Impala67: Ooh la la! Are you finally going to _do it_?**

**AngelofThursday: That is none of your business.**

**Impala67: Spoilsport :-P**

**AngelofThursday: She did mention a trip to Victoria’s Secret.**

**Impala67: Oh yeah!**

**AngelofThursday: I told her she didn’t need to bother.**

**Impala67: Dude! What????**

**AngelofThursday: I said it _lasciviously_ , Dean.**

**Impala67: You did what now?**

**AngelofThursday: The implication is that she would not require underwear at all. Wink wink nudge nudge.**

**Impala67: Oooooh! And you’re sure she got the message?**

**AngelofThursday: Judging by the oral sex she gave me in my car immediately afterwards, yes.**

**Impala67: DUDE! Holy shit, if she’s willing to do anything sexy in that hideous thing, you’re in like Flynn!**

**AngelofThursday: You did say that it’s a pimpmobile.**

**And I believe I am.**

**************

‘And then she said, “Don’t worry, reverse cowgirl is my favourite” and just went to town! Man, it was awesome.’

 Castiel rolled his eyes as he swallowed his beer. ‘That’s quite enough detail, thank you Dean.’

‘So, what’s your plan for the weekend getaway?’

‘I’m still trying to decide between the chaps and the gimp suit.’ Dean choked and Castiel calmly patted him on the back. ‘Just kidding. Definitely the chaps the first time.’

‘You are definitely the weirdest person I’ve ever met, Cas,’ Dean chuckled. ‘Seriously though, flowers, wine, music, romance sort of thing, or is it just a good old-fashioned dirty weekend?’

‘There will be romantic elements. The cabin has a very large jacuzzi bath and a fireplace.’

‘Sweet! And what’s your line going to be?’

‘My line?’

‘Yeah, you know, how you’re going to go from not doing her to doing her.’

‘I don’t believe I’ll need a line.’

‘How do you know?’

‘When I booked the cabin, Daphne said, and I quote, “I can’t wait to jump your sexy bones.” I think it will be quite straightforward.’

Dean backhanded him in the chest. ‘You lucky bastard!’

‘And will you be seeing Cassie this weekend?’

‘She’s coming over on Saturday. Boo ya!’

Castiel clinked his beer bottle against Dean’s. ‘Boo ya indeed.’

**********

**Impala67: OK bud, I’m ready for the juicy details.**

**AngelofThursday: A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, Dean.**

**Impala67: Caaaaaaaas (you have to imagine me whining)**

**AngelofThursday: I think I can picture it.**

**Impala67: I’m making puppy dog eyes too.**

**It’s pretty adorable.**

**AngelofThursday: And yet I am unmoved.**

**Impala67: Will you at least tell me if she went to VS?**

**AngelofThursday: No.**

**Impala67: No she didn’t or no you won’t tell me?**

**AngelofThursday: 0:-)**

**Impala67: Whatever Mr Angel of freakin’ Thursday :-P**

**AngelofThursday: No she didn’t. ;)**

**Impala67: High five buddy! I bet she was a tiger in the sack**

**AngelofThursday: Why would you say that?**

**Impala67: The prim buttoned-up ones always are if you know how to get em going. And she did say she was going to jump your bones. Did she?**

**AngelofThursday: Oh yes. My bones have been well jumped.**

**Impala67: Awesome!! You can tell me all about it when come over.**

**AngelofThursday: You’re not going to stop bugging me until I do, are you?**

**Impala67: Nope! :-D**

**AngelofThursday: Fine. You’re paying for the pizza.**

**************

‘So of course I said, if that’s really where you want me to put it, I suppose I will.’

Dean gave Castiel a chummy punch on the shoulder. ‘I knew it man! Prim and proper on the outside equals crazy sex goddess on the inside. Lucky bastard!’

‘I’m only telling you all this because you’re a sad invalid without other sources of entertainment.

Once you’re healed you’ll get no more salacious stories from me.’

‘I’ll take ‘em while I can get ‘em,’ Dean replied, stuffing a huge bite of pizza into his mouth. He was trying to deal with the ensuing mess when his cell phone buzzed. ‘Shit, can you see what that is?’

Castiel picked up the phone. ‘It’s a message from “Sam-squatch”. Shall I read it for you?’

‘Yeah, please. That’s my brother.’

‘Hey Dean. Can you call in the morning tomorrow? There’s a trip to an art gallery in the afternoon and I really want to go. Love you, Sam.’

‘Did he really say that?’ Dean asked hopefully.

‘I read it word for word. Well, I translated from text speak. He used the letter u instead of the word, and he spelled love l u v, but…’ Castiel stopped talking when he realised that Dean had a tear coming down his face.

‘Sorry, sorry, it’s just… That’s the first time he’s said I love you in a long time. Can you write back,

“Sure buddy, how about you call me when you want to talk. Love you.” Use the letter u or he’ll know it wasn’t me.’

‘Of course.’ Castiel sent the message, and received a quick reply. ‘He sent a smiley face emoticon.’

 ‘Thanks, Cas. Now come on, Goldfinger isn’t going to watch itself.’

 

**********

 

The autumn continued as it had started, with the Dean Duty Rota continuing to look after him, supplemented with the occasional overnight stay from Cassie. By the end of October, he was getting serious cabin fever, with his only outings being medical appointments and the odd trip being pushed around the block, so Castiel conspired with the others to have a surprise Halloween party at Dean’s place. The day itself was the annual extravaganza at The Roadhouse, and neither Ellen nor Jo could be spared on weekend evenings, so they planned it for the afternoon of the first of November.

Castiel took Dean out for pizza at lunchtime while the others snuck into the apartment to decorate it. Dean almost cried when he saw the place, and laughed when they stuck a bald cap on him and declared him to be Professor X.

‘You’re the only one not dressed up, Cas!’ Dean complained.

‘I’m a homicidal maniac. They look just like everybody else.’ That got him a high-five for making a movie reference, even though Dean had only just made him watch The Addams Family a few days before as part of the 'Build-Up to Halloween Film Extravaganza'. Cassie showed up much later in a naughty nurse outfit, which everyone took as their cue to leave.

 

**********

 

_Mid-November_

**Impala67: Hey, I got some awesome news at the doctor today! I’m getting upgraded to a walking cast, and the sling can come off! I start physical therapy the week after Thanksgiving to make my arm strong enough for crutches!**

**Homicidal_Maniac: Splendid news, Dean!**

**Impala67: Golly gee, thanks Grandad!**

**Homicidal_Maniac: ?**

**Impala67: Nobody under the age of 70 says splendid, Cas.**

**Homicidal_Maniac: I do.**

**Impala67: Of course you do, you big nerd.**

**Anyway, we need to celebrate! How about a double?**

**Homicidal_Maniac: A double what?**

**Impala67: A double date! You and Daphne, me and Cassie.**

**Thursday night, Roadhouse.**

**Homicidal_Maniac: Ellen’s bar?**

**Impala67: That’s the one.**

**Homicidal_Maniac: I’ll ask Daphne, hold on.**

**Homicidal_Maniac: She says yes.**

**Impala67: Awesome! Can you drive?**

**Homicidal_Maniac:  Sure. I’ll pick you up at 7?**

**Impala67: Perfect, thanks Cas! See ya!**

**Homicidal_Maniac: Goodnight Dean.**

**********

 

Castiel picked up Daphne first, then Dean and Cassie from Dean’s place. The short drive to The Roadhouse was filled with the usual bickering between Dean and Castiel about the Lincoln, with Dean mocking it relentlessly and Castiel defending its honour. When they pulled up, the parking lot was already nearly full, so Castiel dropped his passengers off at the door and pulled around to park. The reason for the weeknight crowd became obvious as soon as they walked in the door to a very drunk woman singing ‘It’s Raining Men’- karaoke night.

‘Dean! Your sling’s off!’ Jo cried as he was wheeled in by Cassie.

‘Yup! Getting a walking cast and starting therapy so I can have crutches soon. I’ll be hobbling back onto that stage in no time.’

Jo grinned at him. ‘Sooner than that, my boy. When you told Mom you were coming tonight, she got a ramp for it.’

Dean’s face lit up. ‘You know what I’m singin’, right?’

‘I’ve already signed you up. There’s another girl after this, and then a couple singing “I Got You Babe”, and then you. I’ll push you up when it’s your turn.’

‘Thanks Jo, you’re awesome!’ They sat down at the table Ellen had reserved for them near the stage, and the first round of drinks was brought out, on the house.

‘So what will you be singing, babe?’ Cassie asked, only to get a mischievous grin and eyebrow wiggle.

‘You’ll see.’

Dean got a special introduction and round of applause when Jo wheeled him onto the stage. Apparently he was a regular and had been missed. Castiel recognised the chords of Dean’s song and began clapping along with the crowd at Dean’s instruction.

‘Risin’ up, back on the street, did my time, took my chances,’ Dean sang at the top of his lungs, with more enthusiasm than skill. After the second verse, Castiel took out his phone and recorded a snippet of Dean singing, ‘It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rivals,’ and set it as his ring tone for Dean as the latter brought up his leg and used his cast as an air guitar. When the song ended, the audience responded with whoops and hollers, and Dean bowed as well as he could in his wheelchair. Jo brought him back to the table, and he spent the next several minutes breathing heavily as he recovered from the exertion.

‘Well done, Dean,’ Castiel said, tilting his beer in salute.

‘Thanks man. That felt awesome, although I could do with a nap now. What are you going to sing?’

‘I have no intention of singing, Dean.’

‘Cas! You have to sing! Daph, back me up here.’

Daphne gave him a look only slightly better than if she’d found him on the bottom of her shoe. ‘It’s Daphne. And if Castiel doesn’t want to sing, he shouldn’t have to sing.’

Dean rolled his eyes. ‘How about you, babe? I heard you singin’ some Whitney in the shower.’

Cassie laughed. ‘I’m not stupid enough to try to sing Whitney in public. Maybe some Brandy or Monica. Ooh, Daphne, I couldn’t talk you into a duet? “The Boy is Mine” is one of my favourites.’

‘Oh, no thanks, I don’t know that one.’

‘I do,’ Castiel interjected. ‘I’ll sing it with you.’ The three of them turned to stare at him.

‘You know “The Boy is Mine” by Brandy and Monica?’ Cassie asked incredulously.

‘Of course. I call Brandy.’

‘Fuckin’ onion, dude,’ Dean muttered, shaking his head. Sure enough, when their turn came, Castiel and Cassie killed it on stage for the first verse, then Cassie whispered something in Castiel’s ear that cracked him up, and they moved back into the crowd to enact the second verse over Dean.

As Castiel sang, ‘When will you get the picture, you’re the past I’m the future, get away it’s my turn to shine, if you didn’t know the boy is mine,’ he spun Cassie around and draped himself dramatically across the arms of Dean’s wheelchair. The man himself was losing it with laughter, and when they each took an arm for ‘Not yours, but mine, not yours, but mine, not yours, but mine,’ the entire audience joined him in the hilarity. Only Daphne didn’t seem to appreciate the joke, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes at the immaturity, but she smiled again when Castiel gave up his microphone to the next singers and came back to give her a kiss.

‘Should I be worried about the competition then?’ she joked.

‘Maybe I should be,’ Cassie joined in.

‘Don’t worry baby, I’m all yours,’ Dean said.

‘I know, Dean,’ Castiel replied, which earned him three beermats to the head.

‘Right, for being a smartass, you now have to tell us how the hell you know that song,’ Dean demanded.

‘It came out when I was just finishing grad school in St Louis. I was living with my brother’s family, and my eldest niece Claire was a teenybopper at the time. She was obsessed with that song and played it constantly. I think everyone in the house could sing it from memory eventually.’

Dean threw another beermat. ‘She was a teenybopper, was she? Did she wear a poodle skirt to the malt shop?’ he asked with a laugh. ‘Ah, Cas, you crack me up. Never change.’

 

 **********

 

**Cassie pulling double shifts this weekend, wanna hang out?**

**_Sure, I’m free all weekend._ **

**Cool, come over whenever.**

‘So why aren’t you out with Daphne tonight?’ Dean asked when they’d settled in front of the TV with pizza and beer.

‘We’re not seeing each other anymore.’

‘Oh, sorry man, when did that happen?’

‘A few days ago.’

‘What happened?’

‘She had an insufficiently developed sense of humour. Also, we were looking for different things from the relationship. I wasn’t ready for the speed at which she wanted to go.’

‘Good for you, Cas. If she isn’t willing to wait for you, it isn’t really love.’

Castiel rolled his eyes. ‘You are of course hilarious. She complained about not spending the holiday together, and was talking about moving in together.’

‘Dude, it’s only been like two months.’

‘Exactly.’

‘And you’ve already outed yourself as a commitment-phobe,’ he teased. ‘So on a scale of slightly persistent to bunny boiler, how scary was she?’

Castiel tilted his head and squinted at him. ‘Bunny boiler?’ Dean groaned and took out a little notebook to make a note.

‘What’s that?’

‘It’s my list of movies I have to make you watch, since you’re completely ignorant about popular culture.’

Castiel took the notebook and looked at the list. ‘Wayne’s World, Die Hard, Roadhouse, The Princess Bride, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, Blazing Saddles, Fatal Attraction. Ah, is that the bunny boiling one?’

Dean snatched the book back. ‘Yes it is. Now shut up, we’re going to get started on this list right now. Might as well start with Fatal Attraction, since it’s current events.’

Castiel was very impressed with Glenn Close’s acting, but assured Dean that Daphne was far from bunny boiler territory. ‘I think she just felt somewhat threatened by my friendships, and I found that I didn’t feel strongly enough about her to make her a priority. I certainly wasn’t going to cancel my plans with my family to spend Thanksgiving with her, and I found that when given the choice to spend time with her alone or with my friends, I preferred my friends.’

‘Bros before hoes, dude.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Bros before hoes.’

‘I don’t believe that Daphne is a “ho”, Dean.’

‘It’s just an expression, man. Even my friend Charlie says it, and she’s a chick who digs chicks. It means that friends are more important than getting some.’

‘I see. Then yes, bros before hoes.’ They clinked their beer bottles together and Castiel finished his off. ‘I’d better go. I’ve swapped with Bobby to come see you on Tuesday, I’m leaving for Wichita on Wednesday for the holiday.’

‘When you back?’

‘Sunday night. But I’ll probably spend at least some of the time hiding from my family, so maybe I’ll see you on MSN.’

‘Yeah, I’m spending the day itself with Ellen and Jo, and calling Sammy of course, but the rest of the time I’ll be bumming around here.’

‘Great. See you Tuesday.’

‘Night Cas.’

**********

_The day after Thanksgiving_

**Impala67: I’M SO BORED CAS.**

**There’s not even a Dr. Sexy marathon.**

**There was only ONE pie at Thanksgiving.**

**My girlfriend is working.**

**Benny is in Louisiana with his family.**

**Bobby and Karen went to South Dakota to see**

**her family.**

**Ellen and Jo have to work and can only stop by**

**for a little while tonight.**

**Even Charlie isn’t online because she has more of**

**a life than I do despite being an uber geek.**

**Sam is in rehab because I’m a crap brother who**

**couldn't take care of him right.**

**I’m a stupid crippled drunk. I suck.**

**Bunny_Boiler: I’m sorry Dean, I just got your messages.**

**Are you OK? You seem rather maudlin.**

**That means sad, by the way.**

**Impala67: I am sad. And I drank whiskey and tequila.**

**Bunny_Boiler: You should never drink tequila, Dean.**

**Impala67: I know. But everybody left and I hate being alone in a stupid wheelchair because I was a dumbass who drove my poor Baby into a ditch.**

**Bunny_Boiler: I’m sorry I can’t be there to cheer you up. If it’s any consolation, I’m hiding because my brother Gabriel has picked a fight with my brother Michael, and they ended up having fisticuffs in the back yard. Hester tried to break it up and Michael accidentally punched her. She kicked him right where it hurts and his wife tried to scratch Hester’s eyes out. The children started crying, and it all rather spoiled Hannah’s attempt to come out as a lesbian by bringing her tattooed goth girlfriend to dinner. Not that the goth being a lesbian prevented Samandriel from hitting on her.**

**Impala67: LOL! Is any of that actually true?**

**Bunny_Boiler: Not really. Well, I am hiding, but that’s just because my niece Anna is making us all play hide and seek.**

**Impala67: Too bad, you could have made a fortune on Jerry Springer. You did cheer me up tho. I’m especially glad that you said fisticuffs. Thanks.**

**Bunny_Boiler: No problem. I’ll cheer you up in person on Sunday.**

**Impala67: The chaps or the gimp suit?**

**Bunny_Boiler: Don’t get too excited. I’m just bringing you some pie.**

**My mother made a pie for each of us to take home.**

**Impala67: O_O How is that not supposed to get me excited? You are a god among men. Will your mom adopt me? What kind of pie is it? I love pie.**

**Bunny_Boiler: Fair point. I know. Probably not, she has many children already. Pecan. Yes you do.**

**Bunny_Boiler: Oh dear. Anna has found me, so I must accept my fate. Talk to you later Dean.**

**Impala67: Tough break, Cas. See ya.**

**********

 

**Impala67: Hey Cas, just wanted you to know that I feel better today. I had a hilarious dream about your family going on Jerry Springer and having fisticuffs with a gang of angry midgets. Thanks for cheering me up.**

**Bunny_Boiler: You’re very welcome. :) I’m glad you’re feeling better. Any grand plans today?**

**Impala67: Cassie’s coming over. I’m gonna see if I can go on top this time. >:-D**

**Bunny_Boiler: Thank you, just the image I needed before going to play Candyland with my nieces.**

**Impala67: LOL! Sorry dude. I hate Candyland, how’d you get roped into that?**

**Bunny_Boiler: Puppy dog eyes.** **I’m a sucker.**

**Impala67: Duh. That I knew.**

**Bunny_Boiler: How?**

**Impala67: I’ve managed to trick you into being my friend! Haha!**

**Bunny_Boiler: No tricks needed, Dean, you’re a fun and good person and I like you very much.**

**Impala67: Come on man, no chick flick moments!**

**Bunny_Boiler: Also, I have no other friends in Lawrence, so beggars can’t be choosers.**

**Impala67: Haha! FU man!**

**What time you back tomorrow?**

**Bunny_Boiler: Should be home around lunchtime.**

**Impala67: Come hang out, we can watch Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2. Essential viewing. Plus you need a new username, Bunny_Boiler creeps me out. My favorite was I_Expect_You_to_Die.**

**Bunny_Boiler: Sounds good. I’d better go, Candyland has been set up in the living room.**

**Morituri te salutant.**

**Impala67: Ave Caesar!**

**Bunny_Boiler: Impressive!**

**Impala67: Dude, I watch gladiator movies. Uh, but not in an Airplane! way.**

**Bunny_Boiler: A what way?**

**Impala67: Ugh, I’ll add it to list. Geez. Bye Cas.**

**Bunny_Boiler: Goodbye Dean. :)**

**************

‘I can’t believe you haven’t seen Airplane! Actually, yes I can, you haven’t seen anything. I’m doomed to spend my life making you catch up with modern films.’

‘You don’t have to, Dean. I’m quite content to remain ignorant of these things.’

‘Cas, you can’t have a full conversation with me if you don’t get the references.’

‘Surely we can get by anyway?’

‘No we can’t, and don’t call me Shirley.’

‘I didn’t.’

‘Argh! It’s from Airplane! OK, just sit down and shut up, we’re watching that first.’

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel meets Sam, and everyone meets Crowley. Dean also discovers Castiel's dark secret...

The week after Thanksgiving was often a busy one at work for Castiel. There was something about the holiday season that brought out the worst in some people, and this year was no exception. An anonymous complaint had come in on one of his cases; Marv Adler, a non-verbal autistic man in his thirties, was reported by someone who claimed to have been at the family’s Thanksgiving dinner to have unexplained bruising on his arms and neck.

 Castiel sighed. The Adler case was a difficult one. Zachariah and Naomi Adler were pillars of the community; Zachariah was CEO of Sandover, the biggest financial services company in Kansas, and Naomi was involved in practically every charity event within a fifty-mile radius of Lawrence. They were also notoriously uncooperative with social services when it came to their eldest son Marv. The poor man had been on the radar since his teens with bruises and burn marks that were explained away as clumsiness by his family. The file got passed around as a white elephant to every new social worker that came through the office, and for six months it had been Castiel’s burden. When he last tried to speak to them, they hadn’t even let him in the door. He guessed that the anonymous tipster was some kind of distant relative who had noticed Marv at dinner and put two and two together.

 He did not have enough caffeine to deal with this shit yet. Locking up the file in his drawer, Castiel decided to stretch his legs a bit and go to the coffee shop near Woody Park instead of suffering the cafeteria’s bilge. As he stood in line at the take-out window, he noticed his boss, Dick Roman talking to someone at the edge of the park. Speak of the devil- it was Zachariah Adler. They were too far for Castiel to make anything out, but they seemed to be discussing something very earnestly, and then did a half hug-half handshake and went their separate ways. They clearly knew each other pretty well, as Castiel had never seen Mr. Roman get any closer to another person than was strictly necessary, and even preferred not to shake hands if he could avoid it.

 When he returned to the office as well caffeinated as could be expected, he decided to put off the Adler case for a bit longer and instead finish off some reports on cases from before the holiday. It was lunchtime before he got around to picking up the file again, at which point Mr. Roman called him into his office.

 ‘Castiel, how are you? Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?’ Mr. Roman asked with that too-broad smile that Castiel found a bit intimidating.

 ‘Yes, thank you, and yourself?’

 ‘It was great, thanks. Listen, I understand you’re the latest unfortunate to be saddled with the Adler case.’

 ‘I don’t know if I would say saddled-‘ Roman cut him off with a wave of the hand.

 ‘I’m well aware of people’s perceptions, Castiel. People have been banging their heads against the wall with this one for years. After the latest report, the higher-ups have decided that they need someone more senior to take this forward, so I’ll be taking the case personally.’

 ‘You will?’ Castiel asked.

 ‘Yes.’ Some instinct told Castiel not to mention the meeting he had seen earlier.

 ‘Shall I get you the file?’

 ‘Not just yet. The department board would like a summary report from you on the history of the case. If you can get that to them by the end of next week and then give me the full file, that would be great.’

 ‘Of course Mr. Roman.’

 ‘Thanks Castiel. Just close the door on your way out.’ Castiel went back to his desk with a feeling of intense discomfort. The friendly way Roman and Adler had interacted made him suspicious of a conflict of interest. He decided to do some digging online, but couldn’t find anything obvious to connect the two besides that both were rumoured to have political aspirations. As a last hunch, he signed on to a genealogy website his family used to build up their family tree, and looked up the two men. The hunch paid off- it turned out that Zachariah Adler’s grandmother and Dick Roman’s grandmother were sisters. The two men were related, and the way Roman had spoken about the Adlers so distantly implied that he was trying to hide the connection.

 Castiel spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what was going on, and more importantly, how he was going to deal with it. He didn’t feel that he could just ignore the situation, but both Roman and Adler were far more powerful than he was; would it be risking his job to say something? Perhaps he could make an anonymous tip, but those could easily be brushed aside when the subject was someone as powerful as Zachariah Adler. He would have to tread very carefully, and he wished that he had someone he could talk to about it.

 A couple of days later, as he let himself into Dean’s apartment for his turn on the rota, it occurred to him that he did.

 ‘Dean, can I get your advice on something?’

 ‘Sounds serious. What’s up? Besides my penis.’

 ‘It’s work related. Obviously I can’t go into detail, but I had been the caseworker for a family. After a tip came in about them, I was suddenly removed from the case and it was assigned to… someone else. But I’ve learned that the new caseworker has a personal connection with the family, a clear conflict of interest.’

 ‘That doesn’t sound good.’

 ‘Indeed. I’m concerned, but both the family and my colleague are… well, substantially higher up the “food chain” than I am.’

 ‘Ah. So what are you thinking, anonymous whistleblower? Deep Throat?’ Dean winked.

 ‘Perhaps. I haven’t yet submitted my final report, which goes directly to the board, so I could mention it there as well. There is greater risk to myself that way, but also greater protection in case anything untoward were to happen later.’

 ‘You could mention it sorta casually. Like, “the new caseworker’s previous connection with the family may allow for a smoother transition” or some crap like that. Then it looks like you’re assuming they already know and it doesn’t make it seem like you’re all suspicious about it.’ Castiel nodded thoughtfully.

 ‘Yes, that could work. Thank you, Dean.’

 ‘No problem, Cas. Hey, those air quotes you used remind me- have you seen Austin Powers?’

After the film, Castiel rose to leave, and Dean hobbled to the door with him on his crutches.

‘Hey Cas, before you go, I’ve got a huge favour to ask you.’

 ‘What do you need?’

 ‘Samsquatch is getting released on the eighth of December, but I can’t drive there to pick him up myself. Any chance you could take me down to Wichita and bring us both back to Lawrence? He’s going to be staying at a halfway house kind of thing with a mentor, but we have to get him there ourselves.’

 ‘Of course, Dean, I’m happy to help.’ Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

 ‘Thanks man, it means a lot to me. I’d usually ask Benny for this sort of thing, but he’s out of town that day on some training thing, and I don’t really want to talk about this stuff with Cassie.’

 ‘I’m sure she’d understand, being a nurse.’

 ‘Yeah, it’s just pretty heavy stuff to get into so soon. I’m not really ready to go there right now.’

 ‘I understand. What time do you want to go?’

 ‘They said anytime after eleven is fine, so maybe leave after rush hour and aim to be there by lunchtime? There’s a great diner just outside town that we could take Sammy to.’

 ‘No problem, I’ll put in the vacation day request first thing tomorrow morning.’

 Dean’s eyes began to well with tears, and much to Castiel’s surprise, Dean pulled him into a tight hug. ‘Thank you so much man. It’s been really hard dealing with the accident, and Sam being away, and you’ve just been such an awesome friend to me. I can’t thank you enough.’

 Castiel returned the hug warmly, touched by Dean’s confession. ‘It’s been my pleasure, Dean. You’re the first real friend I’ve made here, and you’ve introduced me to so many other new friends as well. I’m very grateful for you.’

 Dean stepped back and rubbed his eyes with one hand. ‘Dammit, I hate chick flick moments. Let me know if there’s any problem with the eighth, ok?’

 ‘I’ll text you as soon as I know. Goodnight Dean.’

 ‘Later, Cas.’

***********

‘Is Sam OK with a total stranger picking him up today?’ Castiel asked as he pulled up to the rehab clinic.

‘You’re not a total stranger, Cas. I’ve told him all about you.’

‘You have?’

‘Of course. Whenever I talk to him I bore him to death with every last detail of my day, and there’s always some hilarious thing you’ve said that’ll make him laugh. He’s really looking forward to meeting you.’

‘That’s very touching. I’ll try to live up to his expectations.’

‘Do or do not. There is no try,’ Dean replied in Yoda’s voice.

‘What?’

Dean turned his head towards Castiel in slow motion, his mouth open with shock. ‘No. Fuck no. Dude, do not tell me that you haven’t seen Star Wars.’

‘OK, I won’t tell you.’

‘WHAT?! You haven’t fucking seen Star Wars??’

‘You told me not to tell you.’

‘Oh my god. I can’t believe this. I honestly can’t believe that I’ve known you for two months and I didn’t know that you’ve never seen Star Wars. How is that even possible? Are you sure you’ve lived on planet Earth this whole time? I mean, seriously, Cas. This is ridiculous.’

Castiel shrugged. ‘I just never got around to it, I guess.’

‘Never got- fuckin’ A, Cas. Fuckin’ A. I think I’m just gonna have to lock you in a room for a week and hold your eyelids open for you to watch every important movie ever made.’

‘Ah, like in A Clockwork Orange.’

‘What the hell, Cas? You haven’t seen Star Wars but you’ve seen A Clockwork fuckin’ Orange? What is wrong with you?’

‘My college roommate had a Malcolm McDowell thing,’ Castiel shrugged as he switched off the engine and opened the door.

‘A- that’s weird as hell. B- this conversation is not over. We’ll talk about it privately, I don’t want to traumatise Sam with the knowledge that there are people in this world who haven’t seen Star Wars.’

‘Dean!’ came an enthusiastic shout as soon as they entered the lobby of the clinic. Castiel saw a tall, thin, floppy-haired young man bound up to Dean and wrap his arms around him, barely heeding the crutches that dropped to the floor as they embraced. Castiel had seen pictures of Sam, but they had been from several years before, when Sam had been muscular, tan and with much shorter hair than now. Dean immediately began ribbing his brother.

‘Sam, you big fucking hippie,’ he said warmly. ‘What kind of operation are they runnin’ here, letting you have hair like this?’ Sam just grinned and tucked said hair behind his ears. Castiel observed them together, surprised that Dean, one of the tallest men he knew, could look so dwarfed by his younger brother; no wonder Dean called him Samsquatch. ‘But besides that, you look good man. Really good.’

‘I feel good. Really, a lot better.’ Dean hugged his brother again, and when Sam bent down to pick up the fallen crutches, Dean hastily wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Castiel caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up.

‘Thanks Sammy.’ Dean took the crutches and pointed at Castiel. ‘This is my friend Cas, he’s giving us a ride today.’

Castiel extended his hand, but Sam bypassed it completely to give him a tight hug. ‘Um, hello Sam.’

‘Thank you for saving my brother,’ Sam said with a final squeeze and released Castiel from his giant arms. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without him.’

Castiel blushed at the compliment. ‘Oh, well, you’re welcome. Do you have a bag I can take out to the car?’ Sam only had a couple of duffle bags with clothes and a few personal belongings, which Castiel put into the trunk of the Lincoln, and a satchel that Sam kept with him. Dean stretched out in the back seat so he could elevate his leg, which still got sore and swollen if he was upright for too long, and Sam took the front seat. ‘Do you have any music preferences?’ Castiel asked politely. Sam started laughing and looked at Dean, who grinned back at him. ‘Am I missing something?’

‘Sorry, it’s just I’m used to following Dean’s number one rule of driving.’

‘Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole!’ Dean interrupted.

‘Well, luckily for you, I have no particular rules about music and cakeholes in this car.’

Sam laughed again and pulled an iPod and car adapter out of his satchel. ‘How do you feel about Britpop?’ Castiel shrugged, and Sam hit play.

_Everyday I wake up and it’s Sunday_ …

Dean groaned. ‘Dammit Sam, you still listening to that English crap?’

‘Travis are from Scotland, actually,’ Sam corrected him.

‘Whatever. It’s still crap. I gave you that terrible technology in good faith, I even put Metallica’s entire back catalogue on it for you!’

‘New driving rule,’ Castiel announced. ‘Front seat picks the music, ornery backseat passenger shuts his cakehole.’

‘I like your new friend, Dean,’ Sam said when he’d finished laughing.

‘ _Former_ new friend,’ Dean grumped, and pouted the rest of the journey to the diner. He cheered up immensely when Castiel offered to buy him a cheeseburger and pie as a peace offering, but a text message during the meal made him grumpy again.

‘Everything OK, Dean?’ Sam asked.

‘Yeah, fine, just Cassie. I told her I’d be busy for a few days, but she keeps texting me to try and make plans.’

‘Didn’t she know you were coming to pick me up?’

‘Uh, not exactly.’ Sam frowned.

‘Oh. You haven’t told her about me.’

‘She knows you exist, Sam. I just didn’t go into detail about stuff. I’ve only known her a couple of months.’

‘You’ve only known Cas a couple of months.’

‘Cas is different.’

‘Why?’

‘He’s my friend. Cassie’s great, but, you know, it’s different when you’re dating somebody. You don’t know if it’s going to work out, you know?’ Sam looked unconvinced.

‘I think what Dean is trying to say is bros before hoes.’ The Winchesters stared at Castiel for several seconds, and then completely lost it. Castiel waited for the laughter to subside before continuing.

‘That is to say, friendships can be counted on to last longer term, so making yourself vulnerable to a friend is less risky than doing so with a romantic partner, particularly in the early stages of a relationship.’

‘Oh yeah, did I remember to tell you that Cas talks like a freakin’ dictionary?’ Dean patted Sam on the shoulder. ‘I’m not ashamed of you, Sam. I just didn’t know how much information you wanted going around. If you’re OK with me telling her, I will.’

‘It’s fine, Dean, you can tell her.’

‘OK then. Now eat, we need to fatten you up some.’

**********

They reached the recovery house in Lawrence by mid-afternoon. Sam carried his bags while Castiel helped Dean up the short steps to the front porch. Sam would be spending a further three months with one Fergus Crowley, himself a recovering addict who now mentored and sponsored former patients of the rehab facility. At any given time he hosted up to three people, but for now, Sam would be the only one there. Sam knocked while Dean and Castiel waited behind him. A short, dark-haired, bearded man in a sharp black suit opened the door.

‘Hello! You must be Sam. I’m Fergus Crowley, please come in.’ Dean was surprised by the man’s British accent, not a trait commonly found in Kansas, but Sam seemed to have been expecting it; he and Crowley had spoken briefly on the phone to organise his arrival.

‘Thanks sir. Um, this is my brother Dean and our friend Cas.’

Crowley shook all their hands and waved them in. ‘Nice to meet you all. Come in, come in. Cup of tea? Coffee?’ The three of them sat down in the open plan living room/kitchen while Crowley made their drinks. ‘Sam, why don’t you get yourself settled in while I chat with your brother and friend? It’s just up the stairs, first on your left.’

‘Sure, thanks Fergus.’

‘Please, call me Crowley. Only my mother calls me Fergus, and she’s a horrific bitch.’ Sam took his bags up to the room. Crowley turned back to Dean and Castiel. ‘So lads, you’re probably wondering what a fine British specimen such as myself is doing in a place like this.’

‘You do seem a bit fancy for Lawrence,’ Dean joked, earning him a smack in the shoulder from Castiel.

‘Oh I’m far too fancy for Lawrence. I’m originally from Leith.’ Dean stared at him blankly. ‘Edinburgh. Scotland?’

‘Oh, right. Heid! Move!’ Dean looked around, but they just gave him blank looks. ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer? Mike Meyers? Geez, never mind.’

‘Anyway. Are you familiar with the film Trainspotting?’ They both nodded. ‘Well, let’s just say that if I’d ever met Irvine Welsh, I’d have considered suing him for using my life story without permission. I got into a spot of trouble up there with a girlfriend; made my way down to London with a boyfriend, where I poshed myself up and changed my accent. Still couldn’t keep away from the hard stuff though,’ and here he mimed shooting up into an arm vein, ‘so I decided I needed to get even further away. I had an aunt who had married an American and moved to Kansas of all places, so I came to stay with her. She put me in the same clinic Sam just got out of, I got counselling training, and now here I am, corrupting the young.’

Dean grinned at the reference. ‘So you swing both ways, Rochester?’

Crowley smirked back. ‘Darling, I swing _every_ way!’

Castiel laughed and Dean turned to him in mock horror. ‘Really, Cas? You haven’t seen Star Wars, but you’ve seen Trainspotting and Plunkett and MacLeane?’

Castiel shrugged. ‘I prefer indy films. Besides, I’m far from the only person who hasn’t seen Star Wars.’

‘Nope, it’s just you, people who died before it came out, and babies who aren’t old enough to see it yet.’

Castiel rolled his eyes. ‘I’m certain that Amazonian tribes-‘

Dean cut him off with a raised palm. ‘Fine, you’re the only person with access to movies who hasn’t seen it yet. But don’t worry, not for long.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘It means we’re going to watch goddamn Star Wars.’

Castiel shook his head, but he was smiling. ‘Fine, just to stop you bugging me.’

Dean grinned triumphantly, and then seemed to remember Crowley, who was staring at them with raised eyebrows. ‘What?’

‘Absolutely nothing! Another cup of tea?’ They accepted, and Dean stuffed so much cake into his face that his cheeks puffed out while he chewed. ‘I should have known. A moose like Sam had to have a squirrel sidekick.’

Dean snickered and gave Castiel the side-eye, but thankfully he was laughing as well. ‘Yes, Dean, I got that reference.’

‘Fank goodness for vat, Mr. Peabody,’ he said with his mouth full.

Eventually Sam rejoined them and pleasant conversation ensued until Dean began to fidget in his seat.

‘Are you OK, Dean?’ Castiel asked, seeing the grimace on his face.

‘Yeah, it’s just that we’ve been out longer than I expected and my painkillers are wearing off. Crowley, have you got any ibuprofen?’

‘Of course, left cupboard above the sink.’

Castiel began to rise, but Dean stopped him. ‘It’s ok, need to move my ass a bit,’ he explained as he hobbled over to the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and faced a huge array of prescription bottles. ‘Whoa, what are all these for?’

‘Dean!’ Sam hissed, horrified.

‘It’s all right, Sam. I was a bisexual heroin addict in the early nineties, Dean. What do you think they’re for?’

Dean blushed. ‘Oh, right. Sorry.’ He found the ibuprofen and washed a couple down with water.

‘It’s heartening that such effective treatments exist these days,’ Castiel chimed in as he helped Dean sit back down.

‘Yeah, it’s awesome,’ Dean agreed, thankful for Castiel’s intervention.

Crowley smiled. ‘I certainly appreciate it. Taking a thousand pills a day isn’t exactly my idea of fun, but it’s better than the alternative.’

‘I’m sorry my brother is an insensitive jerk,’ Sam said, giving Dean a particularly pissy bitchface. For once Dean felt he had earned it.

‘I really am sorry man, I was a jerk. It definitely wasn’t my place to ask, I just got surprised.’

‘It’s all right, Dean, honestly. I always try to be open about my life. I wasn’t offended.’ Dean relaxed, and really began to feel that Sam was going to be in good hands. Crowley told them about the long-term recovery plan, including continued methadone treatment, job training, and eventually job placement. If he wanted, Sam could eventually start taking classes again, and maybe finish the degree he hadn’t been able to complete. There would also be regular therapy sessions, and Dean was welcome to attend those anytime Sam approved his presence. Dean and other family would have scheduled visiting times, and if Sam progressed well in the first couple of weeks, he would be allowed to have those visits outside Crowley’s house as long as he was with a trusted person. It was a substantial amount of hand-holding, but Sam had asked for a strict regimen to keep him on the straight and narrow, and everybody in their circle had chipped in to help pay for what the insurance didn’t cover.

They made a date for Dean to come over a couple of days later with Bobby and Karen, whom Sam had particularly requested to be the first to come see him. With another series of hugs, Dean and Castiel finally left Sam to Crowley’s ‘tender mercies’ as the man himself called them. Once the Lincoln had pulled away, Dean slumped down in the seat and cried. Castiel didn’t say a word, just put a hand on Dean’s shoulder and left it there until Dean spoke.

‘Sorry man, it feels like you always have to put up with my weepy ass.’

‘It was a very emotional day, Dean. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I’m a bit misty-eyed myself. Sam seems to be doing very well.’

‘Yeah, man, he’s awesome. Better than last time- it’s like he really wants to get better this time. And it was definitely the right thing getting this second stage of treatment. Last time he just got sent out with nothing. He’d met this girl Ruby who was also at the clinic, and they ended up shacking up together in Wichita. She’s the one who got him into heroin. Fuckin’ bitch.’

‘That’s not an uncommon story. Follow-up for these things can be very poor, particularly if the person resists further intervention.’

‘Yep. I tried to get him to come back to Lawrence, but he was just _so_ in love with Ruby and they wanted to stay in the bigger city, blah blah. Within a month they were kicked out of the first apartment they got, and ended up squatting in random places for as long as they could. Eventually I found them, and well, you know the rest.’

‘You’re a good brother, Dean.’

‘Thanks, Cas. But if I were a good brother, he’d never have gotten into that crap in the first place.’

‘Dean, he’s a grown man-‘

‘Overgrown man.’

‘Overgrown man with his own mind. You’re not responsible for his decisions or his mistakes. The important thing is that you’re there to support him. I could tell that he appreciates you.’

‘It’s been my job to take care of Sammy since our mom died. I failed big time, there’s no getting around it, but I’m trying to make up for it now. I won’t let him get mixed up in that shit again. Not as long as I’m breathin’.’


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars, holidays, dates and some bad news for Cas

Castiel submitted his report to the board and handed over the file to Dick Roman last thing the following Friday, and then headed over to the outpatient wing to pick Dean up from his physical therapy appointment. Apparently he had been cleared to use the crutches full-time now, because instead of wheeling out as he normally did after the intense sessions, he hobbled out with the support of a small, dark-haired woman; she smirked at the Continental before returning to the clinic. Castiel jumped out and opened the door for Dean, who flopped dramatically into the passenger seat.

‘Dude, I feel like I’m going to die. Meg is a sadist.’

‘Really? That sounds like it could be fun. Can you introduce me?’

‘Feeling in need of a good spanking, Cas?’

‘Goodness, is that what goes on during your physical therapy sessions?’

‘If only. She’s about the not fun kind of pain.’

‘Whatever she’s doing must be working, right? You’re out of the wheelchair completely now!’

 

Dean grinned. ‘Yeah, I’m stoked about that. Although hopefully it doesn’t mean the end of sponge baths.’

‘You’ve been giving yourself sponge baths?’

Dean waggled his eyebrows. ‘No, but Cassie has.’

‘It sounds like you’re taking advantage of her training for personal gain.’

‘Don’t worry, I return the favour.’

‘Thank you, I feel much better now,’ Cas replied dryly. ‘So where to?’

‘Just back home, Jeeves. Cassie’s coming over tonight, but she’s working the rest of the weekend. You still up for Star Wars marathon tomorrow?’

‘I’m resigned to my fate.’

‘Good. And hey, I got some great news- Sam is cleared for a weekend visit too, so he’s going to watch with us. Crowley’s gonna drop him off.’

‘That’s great news, Dean! He must be doing well.’

Dean beamed with pride. ‘Of course he is, he’s awesome.’

Cassie was just pulling up to Dean’s apartment by the time Castiel had helped him to the door. She waved and jogged up to open it for them. ‘Yay! No more wheelchair!’ she cheered.

‘Dean has been very concerned about the potential end to sponge baths. I hope you can reassure him.’

Cassie laughed and gave Dean a kiss. ‘Don’t worry, you still don’t want to get that cast wet, so it’s baths for a bit longer yet.’

‘You know, I got really sweaty at PT today, I probably need one right now,’ Dean said as he flopped down on the couch.

‘And that’s my cue to leave. See you tomorrow, Dean.’

‘Bye Cas. Don’t forget the beer and pie!’ Castiel saluted and closed the door behind him.

‘You guys are hanging out again tomorrow?’ he heard Cassie ask.

‘Dude’s never seen freakin’ Star Wars! And Sammy’s coming over too, it’s gonna be awesome.’ Castiel walked back to the car with a smile.

**********

‘It was very entertaining, but there were a number of plot holes,’ came Castiel’s final verdict as the credits rolled on Return of the Jedi. Sam laughed so hard he had to bend over double, while Dean groaned in exasperation.

‘Christ on a bike, Cas. Next you’ll tell me you liked Ewoks.’

Castiel scrunched his nose. ‘I did not like Ewoks. They felt like a cheap ploy to sell children’s toys. I did like Han Solo.’

Dean breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. ‘Thank fuck for that. I thought I was going to have to kick you out of my house. I won’t tell Charlie what you said about the plot holes, she’d go off you before you even meet.’

‘I did like the movies, Dean. And now I understand so many more cultural references. I agree that I was missing out on more than just films.’

‘Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!’ He offered Castiel a high five, which the latter was getting increasingly better at returning.

‘Hey, maybe we should watch The Phantom Menace,’ Sam suggested with a feigned innocence that he didn’t quite pull off. Dean scowled and pointed an accusatory finger at him.

‘Bite your tongue,’ he growled threateningly. ‘No blasphemy in this house.’

Castiel frowned. ‘A minute ago you said Christ on a bike, since when is there no blasphemy in this house?’

‘I’m talking about serious blasphemy, Cas. Like mentioning the prequels,’ Dean explained, pretending to spit after saying the last word.

‘Prequels?’

‘Terrible, terrible, prequels to Star Wars. Trust me, just… no.’

‘I never did get to see Attack of the Clones,’ Sam interjected.

‘You lucky bastard,’ Dean replied. ‘The things they made Natalie Portman do. It’s just too painful.’

‘So you’re saying there are films you aren’t going to make me watch?’ Castiel asked.

‘That depends. If you piss me off enough I’ll lock you in a room with them and not let you leave until you’ve experienced the full horror of Hayden Christensen. You’d have to do something pretty damn bad, though.’ Castiel was prevented from answering by Dean’s phone ringing. ‘Hello? Oh hi babe. Yeah, we just finished. No, I told you, Sam’s staying over tonight. Well I thought you’d want to rest between two 12-hour shifts, not look after my sorry ass. Of course I _want_ to see you, but I want you to get enough sleep too. No, Cas is going home afterwards. Come on babe, don’t be like that. You’re coming over on Monday, right? Cassie, come on, that’s… hello? Oh for-‘ Dean slammed the phone shut and looked at it like it had personally offended him.

‘Something wrong?’ Sam asked timidly.

‘She’s just tired, it makes her grumpy. She thought I was making excuses for her not to come over tonight.’

‘If I’m in the way, I’m sure Cas could give me a ride home,’ Sam offered.

‘No way, man, this is our first weekend together in forever. She’s got another long shift tomorrow and she would just fall asleep as soon as she came in the door anyway. She’s just being a bit cranky.’

‘We don’t know anyone else who gets cranky without enough sleep, do we Sam?’ Castiel asked to lighten the mood.

‘Hey, shut up, I’m not cranky,’ Dean pouted.

Sam threw a cushion at him. ‘Yeah right, jerk.’

‘Don’t even get me started on your morning bitchface, bitch,’ Dean responded, throwing it back.

‘Oh no, I’m getting out of here before I get caught in the crossfire. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.’

‘Thanks Cas. May the Force be the with you,’ Dean said with a wave, leaving him open to another cushion attack from Sam.

‘Live long and prosper,’ Castiel shouted behind his shoulder, closing the door just time for the projectile aimed at his own head to hit the woodwork harmlessly.

‘Nerf herder!’ he heard Dean shout.

‘Assbutt!’ he called back.

‘Assbutt?’ he heard the brothers say simultaneously before they dissolved into laughter.

**********

_Christmas_

**Impala67: OMG Cas, I swear I ate even more than at Thanksgiving.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: How is that even possible?**

**Impala67: I don’t even know. I do know there were two pies. Karen is the BEST. Speaking of pie, how’s your mom and all the non-pie making people in your family?**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Very well, thank you. There were a large number of Barbie dolls this year.**

**Impala67: Which one did you get?**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Tax Accountant Barbie. She comes with a very no-nonsense charcoal blazer that I find very sexy. I got you Stripper Barbie, she comes with a little pole and clothes with Velcro for easy ripping off.**

**Impala67: Aww, you get me Cas.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: I know. Get any other good presents?**

**Impala67: Bobby, Karen, Ellen and Jo got together to buy me an Xbox! Sam and Cassie got me some games for it. I’ve been awake for like 20 straight hours playing Alien vs Predator: Extinction.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Are you playing an alien or some kind of predator?**

**Impala67: Weeping baby Jesus, Cas. Alien and Predator. OK, that’s 6 movies to add to the list.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: 6??**

**Impala67: 4 Alien movies and 2 Predator movies. And the crossover movie comes out next year!**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Where do you find the time to watch all of these films?**

**Impala67: I watched them when they actually came out. You know, like a normal person.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: I’m normal.**

**Impala67: ROTFLMAO!! Good one, I gotta tell Sam, hold on.**

**Impala67: Sam says you’re not normal, but you’re awesome anyway.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Tell Sam I said thank you, I think he’s ‘awesome’ as well.**

**Impala67: He says thanks, and wants to know if you can braid his hair next time you’re over.**

**Impala67: No I didn’t Cas, this is Sam, Dean’s being a jerk.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: What a shocking development.**

**Impala67: Hey! You can’t gang up on me, I’m just a poor invalid!**

**Impala67: Dfjasiop2 dfjsopa 9024rug**

**Impala67: dasjeqt4**

**Impala67: tewute3w**

**Impala67: Sorry, that was Sam trying to wrestle me for the  keyboard. I won.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Biting is against the rules, Dean.**

**Impala67: Hey, he’s like 10 feet tall, I have to take any advantage I can get. He’ll live.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Oh, have to go, smallest niece has been sent up to announce dinner. See you later.**

**Impala67: Bye Cas, don’t forget to bring back the Stripper Barbie for me!**

**************

‘Honestly, Castiel, do you have to be on the computer all the time?’ Hannah asked as they set the table.

‘I’m not on the computer all the time, I just go on for half an hour a day to check my emails and talk to Dean.’

‘Who’s Dean?’ Michael asked for the third time.

‘Cassie’s boyfriend,’ Gabriel replied, earning him a smack upside the head from Castiel.

‘He’s my _friend_ who is recovering from a serious car accident. He doesn’t get out much right now, so he chats to his friends online to keep busy.’

‘Oh, that’s right,’ Michael responded absent-mindedly. ‘Claire, can you please stop with the Walkman now, it’s time for dinner.’

Claire rolled her eyes. ‘Oh my GOD, Dad, it’s an iPod.’

‘Whatever, just come eat.’

‘I’m coming. So Uncle Cas, you have a boyfriend?’ Gabriel got another dirty look from Castiel.

‘No, I don’t have a boyfriend. Uncle Gabe is just being his usual amusing self.’

‘Hey, you’re the one who can’t seem to get through half a story without Dean this and Dean that. Michael doesn’t spend as much time with his wife as you spend with this Dean guy.’

‘I don’t have that many friends in Lawrence, and Dean introduced me to all of them. It’s only natural that he would feature in most of my stories.’

‘Sure thing, little bro, whatever helps you sleep at night.’

To Castiel’s relief, the arrival of food let the topic die out.

**********

**Impala67: What’s up, Cas? Besides my penis? :-D**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Please don’t talk about your penis Dean. My brother already thinks you’re my boyfriend.**

**Impala67: LOL! Why would he think that?**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Apparently I talk about you a lot. My New Year’s Resolution is to make more friends.**

**Impala67: :-( I can’t believe you’re denying our love, Cas. After all we’ve been to each**

**other.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Shut up Dean. :-P**

**Impala67: Never :-D**

**So when you coming home to love me up?**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Never :-P**

**Actually, Sunday.**

**But not to love you up, I hasten to add.**

**Impala67: What are you doing for New Year?**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: No particular plans.**

**Impala67: What?? Come to the party at The Roadhouse with us then! Everybody’s going to be there.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Only if you promise not to kiss me at midnight.**

**Impala67: I don’t make promises I can’t keep, baby ;-)**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Fuck off Dean :-P**

**Impala67: You love me really. <3**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: In your dreams. Which you should go have now, get some rest. It’s late.**

**Impala67: OK Mom.**

**Don’t_call_me_Shirley: Well that got Oedipal very quickly.**

**Goodnight, Dean.**

**Impala67: Night Cas. :-)**

**********

‘Five, four, three, two, one, Happy New Year!’ In the end, Dean kissed Cassie at midnight, and Castiel got snagged by a very forward redhead named April. She gave him her number, but he decided not to call after deciding she seemed a little too eager.

‘Potential bunny boiler.’ Dean just nodded sagely.

January dragged on with the usual cold and dreary weather, but a couple of weeks in, Dean started getting excited. ‘My birthday’s coming up on the 24th!’ he explained when Castiel asked what the fuss was about. ‘And it’s on a Saturday this year! I’m totally having a party.’

‘Oh that’s right, you get excited about birthdays because you’re a child,’ Castiel said with a grin.

‘What’s not to like about birthdays? Party. Cake. Presents. Awesome.’

‘Revenge.’

‘Revenge?’

‘Revenge for my birthday.’

‘Dude, you spent your birthday eating a crappy little birthday cake with a cripple. I did you a favour.’

‘Keep telling yourself that, Dean. It won’t make my revenge any less sweet.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Dean asked, suddenly a bit wary.

‘Oh, you’ll see. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.’

Dean’s party ended up being at The Roadhouse, and to Castiel it felt like half the town had been invited. As he stood with a beer in his hand watching the crowd, he saw Dean hobble over with the woman he had seen several times outside the PT clinic.

‘Cas, got somebody for you to meet. This is Meg Masters, my torturer. Meg, this is my friend Cas Novak.’

‘Pleased to meet you, Meg. I’ve heard a great deal about your ability to cause Dean a huge amount of suffering.’

Meg laughed, a husky, throaty sound. ‘My career options were physical therapist or dominatrix. I went for the socially respectable one.’

‘I hope you’re at least able to pursue your other interests as a hobby.’

‘Wouldn’t you like to know,’ she said, giving him a playful shove. Cas just smiled.

‘I need another drink, I’ll leave you to your creepy flirting,’ Dean announced with a wink to Cas.

‘So, Cas, that’s an unusual name.’

‘It’s short for Castiel.’’

‘I stand by my statement.’

‘Castiel is the angel of Thursday. My parents were very Catholic.’

‘So you’re an angel, huh?’

‘Not if I can help it.’

Meg snapped her fingers. ‘Wait! You’re the guy who helped Dean when he had his accident, aren’t you?’

‘He told you about me?’

‘Oh yeah, said you were his bona fide guardian angel. I get the joke now.’

‘Well, he refers to you as “that sadistic demon woman” so I guess we’re the angel and devil on his shoulders.’

Meg laughed again. ‘I like you, Clarence.’

‘It’s Castiel.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Ask Dean to explain it to you.’ She considered him for a moment, then seemed to reach a decision. She took a pen out of her purse, grabbed Castiel’s hand, and wrote her phone number on it. ‘Maybe I’ll see you around, Clarence.’ He watched her saunter off and then found his friend.

‘Dean, who’s Clarence?’

‘What?’

‘Meg called me Clarence, she said to ask you about it.’

‘You’ve never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Cas?’

‘No.’

Dean rolled his eyes. ‘I’ll add it to the list. Clarence is a guardian angel.’

‘Ah, I see.’ Cas took out his phone and created a new contact to enter Meg’s number from his hand before it rubbed off.

‘What’s this?’ Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘Meg gave me her number.’

‘You dog!’ Dean exclaimed, punching Cas’s shoulder. ‘Smooth operator.’

‘You don’t mind?’

‘Nah man, go for it! Maybe you can soften her up for me.’

‘Or at least tire her out.’

‘Kinky bastard. Hey, so since I’ve introduced you to your next conquest, we can forget all about that revenge thing, right?’ Castiel just smiled.

Dean’s birthday cake arrived to the tune of Happy Birthday sung in a number of different keys, and once the candles were blown out, he started cutting it up and handing out slices, saving the biggest for himself. Castiel then brought out a lemon meringue pie, but before Dean could take it from him, Castiel had smashed it flat onto Dean’s face. After the initial shock, Dean just started laughing and scooping up bits of whipped cream into his mouth, winking at Castiel once he’d cleared off his eyes.

‘Joke’s on you, dude! Smashing pie into my face isn’t revenge, it’s foreplay.’

*************

 

**Hello Meg, this is Castiel :)**

**_Well hello :) Did you enjoy the rest of the party last night?_ **

**I did. Especially the bit where I smashed a pie in Dean’s face.**

****

**_That was hilarious. So you’re hot and funny. What’s the catch?_ **

**According to Dean, I talk like a dictionary and have no pop culture knowledge.**

****

**_I can live with those._ **

**What about you?**

****

**_Oh, my flaws are many and varied Clarence ;) If I had to pick my worst one, it’s probably that I put out on the first date. >:-)_ **

**Fascinating. On an unrelated note, do you have any dinner plans this evening?**

****

**_Unfortunately I do. But I’m free Friday or Saturday._ **

**Friday is good for me. Any particular desires? For a restaurant, I mean.**

****

**_I like Italian._ **

**I’ll make a reservation at Mario’s.**

****

**_Would you like to hear about my other particular desires?_ **

**I shouldn’t just now, I’m about to go to church.**

****

**_Really?_ **

**Nope. Do go on.**

**********

Castiel arrived at his office the Monday after Dean’s birthday party still cheerful, but his mood quickly soured as he noticed the sidelong glances and hushed conversations that seemed to centre on him. It wasn’t too surprising when he was called into Dick Roman’s office within half an hour of logging into his computer. Roman didn’t even invite him to sit down, but instead handed him an envelope.

‘Castiel, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to pack your personal belongings. Security will be escorting you out in 15 minutes.’

‘Excuse me?’ Castiel cried, tearing open the envelope and reading his termination notice.

‘I don’t tolerate insubordination and dishonesty in this department, Mr. Novak. Good day.’ Castiel walked out of Roman’s office stunned and confused. When he went back to his desk, a security guard was already waiting to ensure he didn’t do anything but clear his desk of personal belongings. His colleagues merely looked on helplessly, though Castiel did take note of the faces that looked sympathetic and those that looked shifty or even triumphant. His few possessions stuffed into his bag, Castiel allowed the security guard to escort him off the premises, and he drove towards home barely an hour after he’d left it. Halfway there he changed his mind, and pulled over to send a text message to Dean.

 

**Are you home or do you have PT today?**

**_I’m home, PT tmrw am, y?_ **

**Can I come over?**

****

**_Sure man I’ll make pancakes_ **

**You’re the best, see you in a few minutes.**

‘Hey man, what’s up? Besides my penis. Shouldn’t you be at work?’ Dean asked as he flipped the last pancakes onto Castiel’s plate.

‘I’ve been dismissed.’

‘WHAT? What the hell happened?’

‘It would appear that what I wrote in my report got back to the individual in question, and I got fired for it.’

Dean looked stricken, and pulled Castiel into a hug. ‘Fuck. I’m sorry Cas, that’s on me. I’m really sorry.’

‘I knew it was a risk. I only hope that it’s enough to protect me if anything should go wrong later. The larger problem is my employment situation. I have some savings, but I won’t exactly be getting a glowing review from my manager. I’ll probably have to move to get another social work job.’

‘No way dude, some unethical douchebag shouldn’t be able to kick you out of your home. Can’t you sue for wrongful termination or something? They shouldn’t be able to just fire you for that.’

‘I can look into it, but how I’m supposed to pay a lawyer and my rent with no job is another matter.’

‘I can help you find a job if you want. I’m just sitting at home on my ass every day anyway. What else can you do?’

‘I have counselling certifications, and theoretically I could teach scuba diving, but I suspect there is little demand for that in Kansas.’

‘Counselling? Seriously? Because the force is looking for new victim care counsellors right now.’

‘What do they do?’

‘They help victims of crime, do the counselling bit but also stuff like how to deal with paperwork for insurance if it was a robbery, or being an advocate when a cop or a lawyer gets in their faces. It’s only 30 hours a week, so no benefits, but on the other hand the pay is also terrible.’

Castiel laughed. ‘Social work isn’t exactly the land of the big bucks. I’m sure I could manage.’

‘Are you really interested? I can talk to Bobby, and Jody Mills, she’d be your boss. I’m sure they’d love somebody with your experience.’

‘Yes, really. But won’t my current situation be a problem? I’m sure I couldn’t get a reference from Dick Roman.’

Dean waved his hand to dismiss the comment. ‘Dude, everybody knows that guy is a douchebag. If I vouch for you and explain what happened, they won’t give a crap about that.’

‘You’d do that for me, Dean?’

‘Of course, man. You’re family, and family looks after each other.’ Dean suddenly found himself wrapped up in a tight hug with Castiel sniffling in his ear.

‘Thank you, Dean. That means a lot to me.’ Dean patted Castiel’s back and his friend sat back again, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

‘Don’t thank me yet, I still have to talk to them, and you’ll have to apply and all that jazz. Anyway, it’s literally the least I can do for the person who saved my freakin’ life.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Dean. You’ve already repaid that many times over. I didn’t know anyone here before I met you, and now I have friends- family, a life. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.’

Dean blushed and gave Castiel a light punch on the shoulder. ‘All right, all right, enough chick flick moments. I’ll call Bobby and Jody, and we’ll go from there.’ Dean’s phone rang, cutting off Castiel’s reply. ‘Hello? Oh, hi Cassie. No, PT’s tomorrow.’ Dean made a frustrated noise and rolled his eyes at Castiel. ‘I can’t right now, Cas is here. He’s going through a rough time, I’m trying to help him out. No, I’m not cancelling dinner, I’m just saying I can’t talk right this second.’ Castiel grabbed a piece of paper and wrote _Do you want me to go?_ on it, but Dean shook his head. ‘You and I can talk tonight. Cassie… no, I told you I can’t go with you next weekend, I already made plans with Sam. What? Yeah, he’s my brother! Yeah, actually, if you want to put it that way, he is more important than you!’ Castiel cringed. ‘Fine. Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Bye.’ He slammed the phone shut and threw it down on the couch.

‘Trouble in paradise?’

‘She’s been driving me nuts, man. She thinks I don’t pay enough attention to her or something. I’m not gonna ditch Sam when I made plans with him, and I’m not gonna ditch you when you’ve just lost your job! I’m gonna break up with her.’

‘Because of today?’

‘Nah, this has been going on for a while. She cancelled dinner tonight, but I’ll go see her anyway. I’m just sick of it.’

‘I’m sorry if I’ve caused any problems.’

‘Not your fault, Cas. But hey, your brother will be happy, now you and I can finally be together,’ Dean joked.

‘I’m afraid I may soon be spoken for, actually.’

Dean prodded his shoulder and grinned. ‘You sly dog! Meg?’

‘We’ve been texting since your party. Although she may not want to go out with an unemployed bum.’

‘Her loss if she doesn’t, but hey, hopefully you won’t be unemployed for long. I’ll call Bobby right now.’

**********

Bobby was more than happy to support Castiel’s application; Jody was thrilled to get someone with his experience applying for the job; and when he and Meg went on their date, she was far more interested in the content of his pants than his employment status. Much to Dean’s disappointment, he refused to share any further detail, insisting that it would interfere with Dean’s treatment. He didn’t budge an inch when they went for celebratory ice cream the following week when Dean got his cast off, saying it was even more important that Dean take Meg seriously as he entered the last phase of his physical therapy to get his leg back up to strength.

Dean only agreed to stop pestering him on the understanding that the ban would end when his physical therapy did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel gets a new job, plays wingman, and makes a new friend, while Dean goes back to work and meets someone new.

Castiel started his job as a victim support counsellor the same day that Dean was cleared to go back to desk work part-time. It would probably be another month or two before he could go back on the beat, depending on Meg’s sign-off of his recovery. When he went for his appointment on the sixteenth of February, Meg’s slightly bow-legged yet cheerful approach made him certain that he could count on Cas to put her in a good enough mood to sign him off quickly.

As February came to an end, there was also a decision to be made about where Sam would go next. Before Dean could stress too much, Crowley invited Sam to stay for a further three months at his house. The original work placement Sam was supposed to go on had fallen through due to Crowley getting into a fight with his contact there, so Crowley felt it was his fault that Sam didn’t have the resources to strike out on his own yet. Dean was grateful to be able to put that off a bit longer.

Castiel thrived in his new job, and he enjoyed being able to have lunch with Dean the two and eventually three days a week the latter came into the precinct. Benny, Jody or Bobby would join them when they could, making it the most congenial working environment Castiel could ever remember being part of.

**********

For as long as he had known Dean, Castiel thought of him as a pretty cheerful person; even lying in a hospital bed he’d been cracking jokes and making the best of things. But on the last day of March, he found out what a properly happy Dean was like. That day saw him signed off by Meg to return to the field, and given back his Baby. The poor car was truly a mess when Cas drove Dean to Ash’s salvage yard to see her, but Ash had at least managed to prevent any corrosion from setting in on the banged up steel. Dean ran his hands along the Impala’s body lovingly, tears in his eyes as he apologised to her for what he’d done. Castiel could probably have thought of a dozen ways to tease Dean about that, but it didn’t even occur to him to do so. This car was obviously special.

Ash assured Dean that the chassis was still in good shape, so they went through determining which parts could be refurbished and which needed replaced, how much everything would cost, and how they would go about it. Sam and Bobby had volunteered to help, and if Castiel had known anything about cars, he would have offered as well. Instead he continued to be Dean’s wheels whenever he could, and in April he did him an even bigger favour, if completely inadvertently.

Lisa Braeden was a single mother and victim of a home invasion. She and her nine-year-old son Ben had been home when two burglars had broken into their house, and although they came through the ordeal uninjured, Ben had been badly traumatised and refused to sleep in the house. Castiel helped Lisa get all of her insurance claims sorted and helped make her victim impact statement strong enough to ensure a stiff sentence for the burglars, but Ben didn’t respond to anything he tried. In a flash of inspiration, he called Dean over and had a quiet word with him. Dean immediately agreed to his request and came over to be introduced to Lisa, who also consented to the plan. Finally Castiel took Dean to speak to Ben.

‘Ben, this is my friend Dean Winchester. He’s a police officer, and he’s going to come home with you to double check that your house is safe.’ Ben looked up at Dean in awe, and the latter sat down next to him.

‘Hey there, Ben. I understand some bad dudes broke into your house. That sucks.’ Ben nodded. ‘My buddy Cas there said that there’s all new windows and an alarm on your house now, but just to make sure, I’m going to come over and check every single room from top to bottom to make sure it’s safe. Is that OK with you?’

‘Will you bring your gun?’ Ben asked, the first words he had spoken in days. Lisa covered her mouth with one hand to stifle her sob.

‘Of course, and I’ve got a nightstick too. No bad guys are getting past me. Should we go check it out?’ Ben nodded, and Dean turned to Lisa. ‘How about I follow you guys out in a cruiser?’

She nodded, thanking him profusely, and gave Castiel a warm hug. ‘Thank you, Mr. Novak. It’s hard sometimes, with his dad out of the picture. I really appreciate it.’

‘No problem Ms. Braeden. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with.’

The Braedens lived about ten minutes from the station in a pleasant bungalow that was part of an older suburb of Lawrence. Dean whispered to Lisa that he would have his gun in hand, but it wasn’t loaded and the safety was on. She nodded and unlocked the door for him to go in first. He went in like every cop show on TV, shouting ‘Clear!’ as he scoured each room. Ben’s room received the most scrutiny, and once the boy was satisfied, he settled down on his bed to play on his GameBoy. Lisa led Dean back to the door.

‘I can’t thank you enough, Officer Winchester. I haven’t seen Ben so calm since before it happened.’

‘My pleasure, ma’am. He’s a great kid. You take care.’ He turned to leave, but Lisa stopped him with a hand on his arm.

‘Can I get you a cup of coffee or anything before you go?’

‘Oh, that’s really kind of you, but I should probably get back to work. They’ll be needing the car back.’

‘Of course. Well, um, maybe some other time?’ she asked, handing him a business card. _Lisa Braeden, yoga instructor_. Visions of bendiness danced in Dean’s head. ‘That’s my personal number,’ she added, pointing to the second line of the card.

Dean smiled and put the card in his pocket. ‘I’d like that very much, Ms. Braeden.’

‘Please, Officer Winchester, call me Lisa.’

‘Dean.’

Lisa gave him a coy smile and kissed his cheek. ‘Hope to see you soon, Dean.’ He tipped his hat and swaggered back to the cruiser with a satisfied grin.

‘Cas, you beautiful treasure of a man!’ Dean cried out, tossing his cap on Castiel’s desk.

‘Thank you?’

‘Lisa Braeden was very grateful for my assistance,’ Dean smirked, pulling out her card and passing it over.

‘Yoga instructor? Well, well.’

‘My thoughts exactly. I’m gonna call her tonight once I’m off shift.’

‘So you don’t mind that she has a son?’

‘Nah, man, I love kids, and Ben seems like a cool little dude. Also: Yoga. Instructor.’

‘I can’t argue with such a salient point. As the one who introduced you, I’ll of course expect a toast at your wedding and for your first-born to be named after me.’

‘Dude, I’m not saddling some poor kid with the name Castiel.’

‘Middle name is fine.’

‘How about I get to second base before I start naming our kids?’

‘OK, so by your usual pace, we’ll discuss it again the day after tomorrow.’

In fact, their respective schedules meant that Dean and Lisa weren’t able to go for coffee until the following Wednesday evening while Ben was at basketball practice, a full six days after they first met. Before Castiel could ask how it went, Dean sent him a text message.

**_OK, middle name, but just Cas._ **

**********

Elizabeth Deanna Lafitte was born on the fourteenth of April, and her godfather could hardly have been more emotional if he’d given birth himself. Dean didn’t even bother to pretend that he hated chick flick moments as he wiped the tears from his eyes when the little girl grabbed his finger. He promised Andrea that he wouldn’t let anything happen to Benny, and in fact wouldn’t so much as let him get out of the car during a traffic stop just in case.

The following week, Dean was quietly minding his business at his desk when a whirlwind of red hair attacked him.

‘Guess who, bitches!’ the ginger storm cried out, and Dean jumped up from his chair.

‘Charlie! Sonuvabitch, what are you doing here?’ he exclaimed, wrapping her in a bear hug.

‘Say hello to your new cybercrime expert.’

‘Seriously! You’ll be working here? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’

‘I wanted to surprise you, dumbass! They originally wanted me in Wichita, but I convinced them that it would be better to have closer access to the computer science department at KU.’

‘Awesome! So what the hell is cybercrime anyway, is it like in The Net?’

‘Oh my god, Dean, are you still that much of a luddite?’

‘Says the girl who pretends to be in the Middle Ages every other week,’ he teased.

‘That reminds me, now that I’m back you HAVE to come LARPing with me again. I’m aiming to get back my crown, and I’m going to need handmaidens I can rely on.’

‘I live to serve. Hey, I bet we can get Cas to join up, he’s a big nerd.’

‘Ooh, when do I get to meet Cas?’

‘How about right now? He’s just in that office.’ Charlie squeaked happily as Dean knocked on Castiel’s door. ‘Hey Cas, got somebody for you to meet. This is Charlie Bradbury.’

‘Hello,’ Castiel greeted her, extending his hand, but she hugged him instead.

‘It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard all about you, and thank you for saving my handmaiden.’

‘Um… you’re welcome?’

Dean laughed. ‘Charlie does live action role playing, LARPing. At one of the events there were a couple of near fatal drug incidents, and vice seconded me to go undercover as a player to try and find the dealer. Charlie was the Queen of Moondor, and the best way to get into the game was to be one of her handmaidens.’

‘Oh, I see. Did you have a corset?’

‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ Dean smirked.

‘So Charlie, what brings you to Lawrence? I thought Dean said you lived in San Francisco or something?’

‘I was in Palo Alto, but my mom isn’t doing so hot, so I decided to try and move home. I’m the new resident cybercrime expert for the police department.’

‘So we’ll be seeing more of you then?’

‘Hell yeah! I think I’m going to be in the next office over, actually. Now, let’s talk about important stuff. Dean says you’d make a good handmaiden. Would you be up for helping me take back my crown from the usurpers who took advantage of my temporary absence to steal the throne?’

‘I’m not sure I’m qualified for the task.’

‘You don’t have to wear a corset,’ Dean assured him.

‘Unless you want to,’ Charlie added.

‘I’ll definitely think about it.’

‘Great!’ Charlie said. ‘OK, second point of order. There’s a particular woodland fairy I’ve got my eye on…’

‘Still hung up on Gilda?’ Dean teased.

‘Have you _seen_ her?’ Charlie sighed. ‘If I hadn’t already had my tickets to California when I first met her, I might have stayed.’

‘And she’s a woodland fairy?’ Castiel asked.

‘In the LARP,’ Dean explained.

‘Right. And interspecies romance is allowed in this LARP?’

‘It’s practically encouraged,’ Charlie assured him. ‘The next event is the third weekend of May. You guys in?’

‘I’ll talk to Bobby about my schedule. I’ll switch with somebody else if I have to.’

‘How about you, Cas?’

‘Why not? I don’t think I have any appropriate clothes, though.’

‘OMG GARB SEWING PARTY!’ Charlie squealed. ‘This is going to be awesome!’

**********

May brought particularly good news for Sam; he had been approved for a programme that allowed him to take a free class per semester at the university starting with the summer term, and he finally got a full-time job. It was only at the Gas N Sip, but it kept him busy and brought him money that he could save up to get his own place eventually. Dean had to keep reminding himself that it was early in the recovery process; Sam was doing so much better this time, but there were still days when Sam would call him full of self-loathing recriminations, or have nightmares that Crowley would tell him about in hushed tones when he dropped Sam off at Ash’s to work on the Impala. Apparently Sam and Ruby’s dealer, who called himself Azazel and wore yellow contact lenses to creep people out, was a scary motherfucker, and Sam still woke up some nights screaming his name in terror. There had even been a close call in late April when Sam had needed some dental work and the nurse had almost given him a Vicodin for the pain. Thankfully Dean had heard her and managed to grip the trembling hand Sam had extended to take it. Sam had spent the rest of that day shaking and crying on Dean’s couch, and those days weren’t suddenly going to stop just because Sam had a savings account and could study art history again. Still, it was important to celebrate the successes.

Once Charlie had gotten herself settled into a new apartment, she invited the Winchesters and Castiel over for a garb-making extravaganza. Dean still had his tunic and hose from before Charlie left, so he provided an extra pair of hands to help Sam and Castiel get their outfits ready. Dean and Charlie communicated almost entirely in film and TV quotes, and Castiel was pleased that he understood enough of the references to let him join in occasionally. Dean was like a proud papa, letting slip that Castiel had only recently watched Star Wars thanks to him, and Castiel didn’t mention the plot holes just in case.  

During a heated conversation over whether Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the ill-fated Firefly was Joss Whedon’s best work, Sam’s phone rang, and he excused himself to answer it. A few minutes later he came back with a smile on his face.

‘My references have cleared for the studio apartment down the street from Crowley’s house!’ he announced. ‘I can move in the second week of June!’

‘Awesome!’ Dean gave his brother a tight hug, which Charlie joined. ‘Get in here, Cas, group hug!’ Dean called out. Castiel went to his other side and wrapped an arm around each Winchester. He was wildly happy for Sam, and utterly delighted to be included in their celebration. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever been part of a group hug before this; he just hadn’t led the sort of life where group hugs happened, or had the sort of friends who would make them happen. He was again reminded that now he had a fulfilling job, a wonderful social circle, a hot girlfriend, and a best friend who was the cause of it all. As Dean would say, life was awesome.

**********

‘And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they will never take our FREEDOM!’ Dean raised his sword and the rest of the army roared in support.

‘Isn’t that the speech from Braveheart?’ Sam whispered to Castiel, who shrugged. ‘Oh, dude, I’ll add it to Dean’s list.’ Castiel didn’t have time to reply, as they now had to run at the other line of warriors. In the end, Charlie regained her crown, and, at some point during the second remove of the victory feast, disappeared with an attractive young lady dressed as a woodland fairy.

Meg hadn’t been overly impressed by Castiel’s plans for the weekend, but he made it up to her on Sunday night by turning up at her house in the rather form-fitting hose from his costume. She decided LARP wasn’t so bad.

**********

_June_

‘The officer exam is coming up in a couple months,’ Dean told Benny as they ate their lunch in the cruiser. ‘Think I’m gonna go for it.’

‘That’s great news, brother! Have you signed up yet?’

‘Yeah, got the approval from Bobby this morning. Now I just need to study.’

‘Let me know if you need any help. I know I haven’t exactly been around that much the last couple of months.’

Dean patted Benny’s shoulder. ‘You’ve had much more important things to do, man. Once Lizzy’s a little bigger I’ll come over more and teach her about the important stuff in life, like cars and pie.’

‘She does already take after you in one way.’

‘Being adorable?’

‘OK, two ways. Her diapers smell like you after a burrito.’

Dean punched his shoulder. ‘Hey! I’m not as bad as Sam.’

‘True. That boy is a big smelly wind machine.’

Dean laughed and they finished their sandwiches. ‘He said he’ll help me study too, and Cas of course.’

‘Of course.’

‘Uh oh. Getting jealous again, Benny?’ Dean teased.

‘Nah, man. I really like Cas, I’m glad he’s around.’

‘Me too. He’s a good pal.’

‘Good. I wouldn’t hand over the title of number one bromance to anyone less worthy.’

‘Aww, come on man, you’re still my number one bromance.’

Benny shook his head sadly. ‘Sorry Dean. I’m afraid it’s ovaries before brovaries for me now. I’ve got a couple of girls at home that have me wrapped around their little fingers. Cas will have to pick up the slack.’

Dean laughed again and offered his hand to Benny, who shook it firmly. ‘Can’t say I blame you, man.’

‘This is probably also a good time to tell you- I’m asking to be transferred to a desk job.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Yeah brother. I gotta think of my little girl, you know?’

‘Of course you do, Benny. When do you think that’ll go through?’

‘With any luck, around the time you’re starting to wear suits and ignoring us poor uniformed grunts.’

‘I’ll never ignore you, dude. Once I’m a detective, I’ll get to shout at you!’

**********

**_Hey, forgot to ask, u bringing Meg 2 the 4 th of July BBQ?_ **

**No. We broke up.**

**_Oh, sorry dude. That seems sudden, weren’t u guys 2gether like two days ago?_ **

**Yes, but we had a fight and called it off.**

**_When?_ **

**About 20 minutes ago.**

**_Dude, call me right now._ **

 

‘I’m fine, Dean,’ Castiel said before Dean could even say hello. ‘We’d only been seeing each other a few months and let’s face it, it was mostly physical.’

‘Still Cas, that sucks. What did you fight about?’

‘Oh, well, she was wanting to go away for the long weekend, but I told her I’d already committed to attending your barbecue and bringing some of the food and drinks. She thought I should be happy to drop it for her sake, and I explained to her that I don’t work that way. We both expressed our points of view forcefully and found they couldn’t be reconciled, so we decided to go our separate ways.’

‘Aww, I’m sorry man, I didn’t mean to come between you two. If you’d rather go away with Meg, that’s OK.’

‘If she’d wanted to go away with me, she should have brought it up more than a few days in advance so I could have altered my plans with more warning. I don’t like cancelling last minute and letting people down. And of course, bros before hoes.’

‘Well, it’s her loss anyway. You’re awesome.’

‘Thank you. And really, I’m fine. I’ll see you Sunday, and I won’t forget the pie.’

‘Thanks Cas, see ya.’

 

Castiel did seem mostly fine, but Dean knew him well enough to spot the moments when he’d let his guard down and droop a little at the sides of his mouth. He checked his phone more often than usual, and looked disappointed when he put it back in his pocket. Dean was so preoccupied that at first he didn’t hear Lisa talking to him.

‘Hello? Earth to Dean?’ she said, poking his shoulder.

‘Sorry Lis, I was a million miles away. What’s up? Besides my-‘ he cut himself off, noticing Ben standing next to her. ‘Uh, besides the sky?’

Lisa rolled her eyes. ‘I was just going to ask you what’s going on. You’ve been quiet.’

‘Sorry babe, I’m just worried about Cas. He and Meg just broke up like the day before yesterday, and he’s a bit bummed out.’

Lisa looked over at Castiel, who was laughing with Sam and Crowley. ‘Really? He looks fine to me.’

Dean looked over and saw how quickly the smile faded and the gaze went to the ground, Castiel’s hand going into his pocket once again and looking at the phone as if willing it to buzz. ‘He’s checked his phone like a million times, and whenever he thinks nobody’s watching he has a sad look on his face.’

Lisa’s expression was unreadable for a moment, but she just shrugged. ‘You know him a lot better than I do. But I’m sure he’ll be OK. Maybe he’s just hungry.’

‘Oh, sh- crap, the food! The grill will be hot by now, I’ll get those burgers on.’

Castiel cheered up over the course of the afternoon, and by the end of the city’s fireworks display, he had stopped checking his phone. He even took on wingman duties, distracting Ben by explaining how they made the fireworks have different colours and shapes so Dean and Lisa could have a few private moments together. Dean’s grin and thumbs up were warmly returned.

Eventually all the guests drifted off, leaving just Castiel to help Dean clean the grill and pack up the folding tables and chairs. Once the work was completed, they sat down on a picnic blanket with the last couple of beers from the cooler, clinking them together in a silent toast.

‘Thank you, Dean, I had a wonderful time.’

‘That’s good. I was worried about you for a while there.’

‘I know, I’m sorry. I am a bit disappointed about how things went with Meg. I thought we liked each other.’

Dean patted his shoulder. ‘Hey, you never know, she might come around. It’s not like she could do better.’ Castiel frowned, and Dean put his hands up. ‘That’s not a comment on her, man, I just mean you’re the best.’

‘Thanks Dean.’ They smiled at each other until Dean dropped his eyes and took a swig of his beer. ‘So things seem to be going well with Lisa.’

‘Hell yeah. So bendy.’ Castiel chuckled. ‘But she’s also really nice and funny, and Ben is a great little dude. Big hit with the ladies already- last week he was at a girl’s birthday party and got caught kissing her behind the moon bounce. It was awesome.’

‘I’m happy for you, Dean.’

‘Thanks Cas. For introducing us and everything.’

‘I’m glad I could contribute to your happiness in some way.’

‘Are you kidding? You’re my best friend, I have a great time with you.’ They clinked beer bottles again and looked up at the stars in comfortable silence until Castiel sighed.

‘I should get going. Is it OK if I leave my car here and call a cab?’

‘Dude, just crash on my couch and drive home tomorrow.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Duh. You might not even get a cab at this hour.’

‘OK, if it isn’t an imposition.’ Dean assured him that it wasn’t. They folded up the blanket and threw away their empty bottles in the dumpsters on their way in. Castiel used the bathroom while Dean dug out spare bedding for the couch.

‘Hope this is OK. Just help yourself to coffee and stuff in the morning if you wake up before me.’

‘Thanks again, Dean. Goodnight.’

Dean gave him a quick back-thumping hug. ‘Night Cas.’

As they both had the next day off, Castiel ended up hanging out and helping Dean with his exam preparation for a few hours. They ate barbecue leftovers for lunch between study sessions, and when Dean got bored they put the books away and switched on the TV. The discovery of a Dr. Sexy marathon elicited a celebratory fist pump from Dean and an eye roll from Castiel.

‘I don’t understand why he wears cowboy boots.’

‘Cas, the thing that makes Dr. Sexy sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy boots. Now shh, I need to find out if Dr. Piccolo is going to take him back this time or not.’

Obviously she did, though just two episodes later their relationship was in turmoil again. Cas found himself getting into it despite himself. Dean fixed them a quick dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches during a commercial break, and by the time the marathon was over, it was nearly ten p.m.

‘Crap, I’d better get home. Thanks for another fun day, Dean, I barely even thought about Meg all day.’

‘That’s what I’m here for. Thanks for helping with the studying. We still on for karaoke Thursday? Lisa’s coming this week, she got a sitter for Ben.’

‘Wouldn’t miss it. See you at work.’ They exchanged a goodbye hug and Castiel drove home feeling a bit better about the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) of Parks and Recreation for coining the phrase 'ovaries before brovaries' and generally being hilarious.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam starts to wonder, Meg turns up, things are going well for Dean, and Cas gets a visitor.

When Sam came over on Tuesday night to help Dean study, he was surprised to find him two chapters further ahead in the book than expected. ‘Yeah, Cas helped me with it yesterday.’

‘Oh, I didn’t know he was coming over again.’

‘It wasn’t planned. He crashed here after the party and ended up hanging out all day. There was a Dr Sexy marathon.’

Sam raised an eyebrow. ‘Sooo… he slept over, helped you study, and watched Dr Sexy with you.’

‘Why are you saying it like that?’

‘Like what?’

‘Like it’s weird.’

‘It’s kinda weird, Dean.’

‘How is it weird?’

‘I don’t know. It’s just kinda weird. Did you tell Lisa about it?’

‘Why would I tell Lisa about it?’

‘Why _wouldn’t_ you tell Lisa about it?’

‘I’m not hiding it, I just don’t see what the big deal is. Would you expect me to tell her if it had been you?’

‘No, but I’m your brother.

‘Yeah, and Cas is… Cas. He’s family, it’s practically the same. Anyway, he’s going through a rough time, he and Meg broke up.’

‘Oh, I didn’t realise. He didn’t say anything at the party.’

‘Yeah, he didn’t want people to feel sorry for him.’

‘He seemed pretty cheerful, it can’t have been that big a deal.’

Dean looked at his brother like he’d sprouted another head. ‘Are you kidding? He was clearly upset for most of the afternoon. He kept checking his phone. You didn’t notice that?’

Sam shrugged. ‘I guess I don’t pay as close attention to him as you do.’

‘Well, I knew to look for it because I knew about the break-up.’

‘Sure.’

Dean narrowed his eyes. ‘You got something to say, Sammy?’

Sam blushed and ducked his head. ‘Uh, no, it’s just, you and Cas are so close, and Crowley thought… I mean, he asked me if I thought, but I didn’t really think about it until he said something, but now I’m not sure…’

‘What?’

‘Are you and Cas, like, you know…’

‘Spit it out, Sam.’

‘A thing?’

Dean threw his head back and laughed. ‘Jesus, Sam. Are you actually kidding me? No, we’re not a “thing”. He slept on the couch. You may have noticed that we’re both straight. I have a girlfriend, and until very recently, so did he. We’re friends. Best friends, really. He saved my fucking life, so yeah, I’m a bit partial to him, but he’s not like my secret boyfriend or something.’

Sam grinned. ‘You’re right, it’s not a secret at all.’

Dean reached up and got Sam in a headlock to dish out a brotherly noogie. ‘Shut up, bitch.’

‘Get off me, jerk!’

Dean won the ensuing wrestling match, but Sam referred to Castiel as Dean’s boyfriend from then on.

**********

_Late July_

Castiel was devastated to open the newspaper one morning to learn that Marv Adler had been found wandering along the side of a country road, badly dehydrated and beaten half to death. He couldn’t tell investigators what had happened or how long he’d been wandering, and he was now recovering in hospital.

The feeling of failure was strong, but Castiel tried to push it back. He had been blocked every time he’d tried to do his job with the Adlers, and the case had been taken away by someone with a conflict of interest. None of that was his fault, but his heart still felt heavy at the poor man’s suffering.

A week later, the front page of the Lawrence Journal-World carried a picture of Dick Roman and Zachariah Adler trying to hide their faces as they entered a lawyer’s office. Forensic evidence had connected Zachariah to his son’s injuries, and a specialist in communicating with non-verbal people had managed to get Marv to indicate Zachariah’s involvement. Roman was facing charges of covering up evidence and interfering with the ability of Social Services to keep track of Marv. He had been fired from the department.

Castiel felt a brief flash of vindication; his suspicions had been confirmed and his dismissal had been unjust, but the feeling was quickly replaced by sadness and anger on Marv’s behalf. The man had deserved protection, and he had been let down. Castiel’s thoughts were interrupted by a text message from Dean.

 

**DUDE!!! I just saw the news! Those douches!**

**_Yes, it’s very upsetting. :(_ **

**Do u wanna talk about it? I’ve got some time**

Before Castiel could reply, there was a knock on his door. ‘Castiel Novak?’

‘Yes, that’s me.’ The man handed him an envelope.

‘This is an administrative subpoena for your statement in the investigations into Zachariah Adler and Richard Roman. There are instructions inside for what is required of you.’

‘Oh, thank you.’ The man nodded and walked away.

 

**_I’ve just been served a subpoena. They must have seen my report._ **

**Awesome man! U get a chance to put those dicks away.**

**_I’m very much looking forward to having my say._ **

**Good luck bud, let me know if u need anything!**

 

As soon as he got into the office, Castiel spoke to Jody about getting the required time off to meet with the attorneys and investigators, and the next day Castiel attended his appointment. He described what he had seen in the park, Roman’s subsequent removal of Castiel from the case, the comment he made in his report, and his dismissal. The response to his evidence was surprisingly swift; Roman immediately accepted a plea bargain and turned on Adler, who just as quickly cut a deal himself. Marv was made a ward of the state, and another relative took him in and agreed to act as his legal guardian. The entire affair was completed in just a few weeks; while Castiel was glad that things were better for Marv, there was some bitterness at the knowledge that it had only happened that way because of the money and power of the Adler family.

More surprisingly, he was approached by Dick Roman’s replacement, a feisty woman named Pamela Barnes who had been brought in from Wichita. Castiel liked her, but decided not to accept her offer of his old job back. He was happy in his new role and the more direct assistance he could give the people who came through his door. However, he was not too proud to accept the official apology, correction of his employment file, and settlement of backdated salary from the day he was dismissed to the end of August; seven months of his old salary would definitely come in handy.

**********

Dean took the officer exam in mid-August, and received the positive result at the end of the month. This called for celebrations, so he, Lisa, Sam, Castiel, Bobby, Karen, Benny and Charlie went to The Roadhouse for dinner and drinks. Ellen and Jo took their dinner break together and joined them, toasting Dean’s success with a round on the house. Bobby promised that he’d put in a good word for Dean with Vice; promotions would be announced sometime in October, but the first hurdle had been overcome.

Castiel was on his way back from the restroom when he nearly collided with someone coming the other way. He was surprised to see Meg looking up at him. She gave him a shy smile that made his chest tighten.

‘Hi Clarence.’

‘Hello Meg.’

‘You guys celebrating something?’ she asked, indicating the rowdy table with a jerk of her head.

‘Yes, Dean passed his officer exam.’

‘That’s really great, tell him I said congratulations.’

‘I’m sure he’d be happy to hear it from you directly.’

‘Nah, I was just on my way out. It was good to see you.’

‘You too. Take care.’ She gave him a little wave and walked out the side door. He went back to the table in a daze.

‘You all right, Cas?’ Dean asked. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’

‘I ran into Meg. She said congratulations.’

‘Oh, right. You OK?’

‘Yes, fine, it was just a surprise.’ Dean nodded and returned his attention to Lisa. A minute later, Castiel’s phone buzzed.

 

**You look great btw**

**_As do you._ **

**Damn. Kinda thought I was over you.**

**_I thought so too._ **

**I miss you.**

**_Maybe we could meet for coffee sometime?_ **

**That would be nice. You could also come outside and fuck me in my car right now.**

**_Give me 5 minutes._ **

**I already have condoms.**

**_Give me 2 minutes._ **

 

Afterwards she had sent him back into the bar. ‘I want them to see you all dishevelled and smelling of sex,’ she had purred as she sucked a bruise onto his neck.

‘I don’t know if anyone will notice.’

‘Dean will notice.’

Dean did notice, giving Castiel a once-over and raising an eyebrow. ‘Meg?’ he had silently mouthed, and Castiel’s toothy grin was his answer. Dean gave him a thumbs up and a wink. When Lisa went to the bathroom, he slid over to get the details. ‘Dude, did you just hook up with Meg here?’ he whispered.

‘In her car.’

Dean put up his fist and Castiel bumped it.  ‘So is this a one-time thing or are you back on?’

‘We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow to talk.’

‘That’s awesome man. I know you’ve missed her.’

‘Has it really been that obvious?’

‘No, I just know you.’ He patted Castiel’s shoulder. ‘I hope she realises what she’s got this time.’

 

**********

_September_

Castiel’s birthday fell on a Saturday, so Dean convinced him to have a celebration, and even planned it for him- a special karaoke night at The Roadhouse. Lisa and the Lafittes had gotten a shared sitter for Ben and Lizzy, so they were all able to join in along with Meg, Sam, Charlie and Gilda, Bobby and Crowley. The twist this time was that Dean would be choosing everyone’s songs, and he went above and beyond to ensure that everyone would be as embarrassed as possible.

The order was picked out of a hat, and Crowley was the lucky opener with ‘I’m Too Sexy’ by Right Said Fred. He absolutely nailed it, hardly even needing to look at the screen for the lyrics. Next came Charlie and Gilda with ‘I Touch Myself’ by The Divinyls, and Bobby rocked the house with the Elvis classic ‘Hound Dog.’ Benny and Andrea were as schmaltzy as possible with ‘I Got You Babe’ before Dean did his usual ‘Eye of The Tiger’ and Sam scowled his way through ‘These Boots are Made For Walking.’ Castiel and Meg were given ‘Reunited’ by Peaches & Herb, which had them both rolling their eyes, followed by Dean coming back on stage to join Lisa in ‘A Whole New World’ from her favourite Disney film, Aladdin.  

The pièce de résistance, however, was a final duet between Dean and Castiel. As soon as he heard the opening chord, Castiel started laughing, causing him to almost miss his entrance for Jennifer Warnes’s part in ‘I Had The Time of My Life.’ Dean did his best Swayze impersonation, but drew the line at doing the lift. They left the stage with their arms around each others shoulders to the whooping and cheering of the audience. At that point the karaoke opened to the rest of the bar, and it was time for cake.

As had been promised a year earlier, Dean baked the cake, an enormous chocolate confection slathered in icing. A rousing and off-key version of Happy Birthday was followed by Castiel cutting the cake and passing pieces around to everyone. Just as he was about to dig in to his own piece, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Seeing that it was Gabriel, he excused himself to answer outside.

‘Hey little bro! Happy birthday!’

‘Thanks Gabriel. How are you doing?’

‘The usual. What’s that noise?’

‘Oh, I’m at a bar. I’m having a sort of birthday party.’

Gabriel made an odd strangled noise. ‘You’re having a birthday party? _You_ , Castiel Novak, are having a birthday party? To celebrate your birthday?’

‘That is typically what birthday parties are for, yes.’

‘Since when do you have birthday parties?’

Castiel sighed. ‘Since Dean Winchester became my social secretary.’

‘Ahhh, Dean. Of course. How romantic.’

‘Shut up, Gabe.’

‘So when do I get to meet your boyfriend? Are you bringing him home for Thanksgiving this year?’

‘Haha. I may bring my _girl_ friend.’

Gabriel gasped. ‘Castiel, you cheating dog! Does Dean know? Or is this like a polyamory thing?’

‘Oh fuck off,’ Castiel laughed. ‘Her name is Meg, and Dean introduced us. She was his physical therapist after the accident.’

‘OK, so when do I get to meet your beard and boyfriend?’

Castiel rolled his eyes and gave up. ‘I don’t know, when are you coming to visit?’

‘Thought you’d never ask! I can come either next weekend or the weekend after, whichever is better for you.’

‘OK, let me talk to-‘ he’d been about to say Dean- ‘Meg and let you know.’

‘Sounds good Cassie. Enjoy the rest of your b-day!’

‘Thanks, Gabe, see you soon.’ He walked back in and reclaimed his seat next to Meg and across from Dean. ‘That was my brother Gabriel. He’s going to come visit and wants to meet you guys. Do we have any plans the next couple of weekends?’ He addressed both of them, but Dean spoke first.

‘I’m on long shifts next weekend, but free the weekend after that.’

‘I’m free both,’ Meg added. Castiel sent Gabriel a text to say the first weekend of October was best, and turned his attention back to the party.

**********

_October_

Gabriel arrived at Castiel’s apartment in a brand new gold PT Cruiser. Castiel laughed to himself imagining Dean’s reaction to the monstrosity. The brothers embraced and went inside for Gabriel to drop off his bag and have a coffee.

‘I thought we could go to The Roadhouse for dinner. It’s our go-to place in town. Meg, Dean and Lisa will join us there.’

‘Who’s Lisa?’

‘Dean’s girlfriend.’

‘Oh man, Cassie, you’re making me a fifth wheel?’

‘I can ask Sam to come as well.’

‘Who’s Sam?’

‘Dean’s brother.’

‘Eh. Not my type, but at least we can sit together and make fun of you lovebirds.’ Castiel texted Sam, who happily agreed to join them.

‘Just to warn you, Sam is a recovering addict, so please no joking around about drugs.’

‘No problem bro, thanks for telling me. I’m not a total asshole, plus I don’t want to piss off your boytoy. He has a gun.’

The Novaks were first to arrive in Gabriel’s car and claimed one of the larger tables. Jo brought the menus and Castiel introduced his brother. Next to arrive were Dean and Lisa, and Castiel smiled when he waved them over. Dean’s face lit up when he waved back, but he stopped to take his and Lisa’s jackets to the coat hooks.

‘Right, totally not your boyfriend,’ Gabriel muttered under his breath, and received an elbow in the ribs for his trouble.

‘Hi, you must be Gabriel. I’m Dean Winchester, and this lovely lady is Lisa Braeden.’ Gabriel stood and shook their hands before they all took their seats again.

‘It’s nice to put a face to a name. Cassie tells me you’re a police officer.’

Dean snorted. ‘Cassie?’

‘What do you guys call him?’

‘Just Cas. Man, that would have been confusing when I was going out with Cassie.’ Dean and Castiel laughed, while Lisa and Gabriel just looked confused. ‘Oh, sorry, around the same time I met Cas I also started going out with this nurse called Cassie. It hadn’t really occurred to me that their names were so similar.’ Gabriel was clearly bursting to make an inappropriate comment, but to Castiel’s relief (and deep suspicion), he bit his lip and kept it to himself. Sam appeared before any further conversation, and Meg was just behind him. Castiel stood up, shaking Sam’s hand and pulling Meg in for a kiss. He introduced everyone to Gabriel and they all ordered their food and drinks.

‘So, Meg, I hear you’re an expert at inflicting pain on pliant men,’ Gabriel said suggestively.

‘That’s right. I’m also a physical therapist,’ she replied with a wink.

‘Ooh, I like her, Cassie.’

Meg turned back to Castiel with a raised eyebrow. ‘Cassie, is it? Well, well.’ The look she gave him made him feel like steam might come out of his ears. ‘I’ll be using that later,’ she whispered ominously.

‘You’ll have to wait until tomorrow, Gabe is staying at my place tonight,’ he murmured back.

‘I can be quiet.’

‘No you can’t.’

She leered at him and replied at normal volume, ‘You’re right about that.’

‘Anyway, while those two make out in the corner, Lisa, how did you and Dean meet?’

‘Oh, it was actually Cas who introduced us. They both helped me out when my house got robbed.’

‘Interesting. And are you all from Lawrence originally?’

‘Sam and I are. Lisa’s from Indiana,’ Dean replied.

‘I’m from Tulsa, but I went to KU and stayed in the area,’ Meg replied.

Gabriel turned back to her. ‘And how did you and baby bro get together?’ he asked, despite having already heard the story from his brother.

‘I was Dean’s PT after his car accident. He invited me to his birthday party and introduced me to Clarence here.’

Gabriel let out a sharp laugh. ‘Clarence! Good one. So wow, guys, you take your wingman duties for each other pretty seriously.’

Dean laughed. ‘Yeah, guess so.’

‘I must say, I’m a bit disappointed. I expected to come here and find a bromance for the ages.’ Lisa and Meg looked at each other and cracked up.

‘Oh my god,’ Lisa started. ‘You have no idea.’

‘They sing romantic karaoke duets together,’ Meg added.

‘BRO-mantic duets,’ Dean corrected.

Gabriel looked at his brother with raised eyebrows. ‘You sing karaoke?’

Castiel just shrugged.

‘Oh, he sings karaoke,’ Meg assured him. ‘At his birthday party, they sang that song from Dirty Dancing.’

‘Swayze gets a pass,’ Dean stated emphatically, as if this explained everything.

‘And god forbid you try to schedule anything on movie nights,’ Lisa chimed in again. ‘They are sacred man bonding time. Sam can go, but no girls allowed.’

‘Oh good, I thought it was just me!’ Meg cried, and gave Lisa a high five.

‘Hey, Cas has a lot of catching up to do!’ Dean pointed at Gabriel. ‘Did you know he hadn’t seen Star Wars until last December? Freakin’ Star Wars!’

‘What you have to understand about Dean,’ Sam explained, ‘is that most of his conversations involve pop culture references, so he feels it’s a personal mission to educate Cas in order to be able to talk to him.’

‘I approach it as an anthropology experiment. I must learn how to communicate with the natives in order to be accepted as one of them,’ Castiel added.

Dean put on an exaggerated look of shock. ‘Surely you can’t be serious.’

‘I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.’

Dean pretended to wipe tears from his eyes. ‘I’m so proud! Look, I’m getting all verklempt!’ The others laughed, but Castiel just tilted his head. ‘Oh for fuck’s sake Cas! Now we have to add TV to the list?’

‘The list?’ Gabriel asked.

‘Yeah, the list of stuff I have to make Cas watch so he’s a normal human being. Which apparently includes Saturday Night Live, for the love of pete.’

Castiel could tell that Gabriel was practically biting the inside of his cheek, and he was a bit nervous about what would happen when his brother eventually let loose. Still, throughout dinner and another round of drinks, Gabriel was in top form and best behaviour, having amusing conversations with everyone, flirting inappropriately with Meg, Lisa and even Sam, and only occasionally referencing the ‘bromance’ issue. Castiel began to relax, and he and Dean had their usual banter, bickering playfully about everything from Patrick Swayze’s hair to Castiel’s car.

Gabriel finally cracked when they all left the bar and the Novaks walked over to the PT Cruiser. Dean burst out laughing. ‘Oh my god, is terrible car selection genetic?’ he teased. ‘This makes the pimpmobile look classy.’

Castiel grinned at Dean. ‘That’s why I made him drive, I knew you’d love it.’

Dean smiled back and put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. ‘Aw, Cas. You complete me.’

Gabriel groaned. ‘Oh my god, get a room for all your eye-fucking and old married couple bickering, and leave my poor car out of it!’

Dean responded by making exaggerated eyebrow wiggles and pouty lips at Castiel, who began re-enacting the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally. With everyone fully dissolved into a fit of giggles, goodbyes took a bit longer than usual. Castiel gave Meg a kiss and promised he’d call her once Gabriel had left, and the brothers went back to Castiel’s apartment.

‘That was fun,’ Castiel said as he kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the coffee table.

Gabriel looked at him like he was some kind of alien. ‘Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?’

‘What?’

‘You’ve never been this much fun. Ever.’

Castiel frowned. ‘Really?’

‘Really. You need to marry that sweetheart of yours.’

‘I don’t really think Meg is the marrying kind.’

Gabriel snorted. ‘Wasn’t talking about Meg.’

‘Very funny, Gabe. Same sex marriage isn’t legal; we’d have to live in sin, and I’m good Catholic boy.’

Gabriel’s expression turned serious. ‘I like the new you. I’m glad you found Dean.’

Castiel smiled. ‘Me too.’

**********

Dean found out the results of the promotion round in mid-October: he would be a detective in the Vice Unit, assigned to partner experienced officer Victor Henriksen. The official announcement would be made at a ceremony and dinner on the sixteenth; Sam, Lisa and Castiel would be joining him for the celebration.

Cas arrived at Dean’s with plenty of time to spare; after collecting Dean and Sam, they would go pick up Lisa and head to the dinner. Cas was helping Dean with his bowtie when the latter’s phone rang. He put it on speaker.

‘Hey babe, we’re leaving in ten.’

‘Dean, I’m so sorry, I can’t go.’

‘What? Why not?’

‘The sitter’s just cancelled on me. She has food poisoning, and there’s no way I can get another sitter in the next half hour. I’m really sorry, hon.’

‘I can watch Ben,’ Castiel offered. ‘As long as you don’t mind driving to dinner, Lisa.’

‘I can’t ask you to do that, Cas.’

‘You don’t have to, I’m offering. It’s more important that you go. Tell you what, I’ll come to your house, and then you can swing back by here to pick up the boys since Dean’s place is closer to the venue.’ Lisa was quiet for a moment.

‘Is that OK with you, Dean?’ she asked.

Dean cocked an eyebrow at Castiel, who nodded emphatically. ‘Yeah, of course babe. You can trust Cas with Ben.’

‘I know. OK, well, if you’re both sure. Your plan sounds fine, Cas, I’ll see you over here in a bit.’

‘No problem, see you soon.’

‘Bye Lis.’ Dean hung up and turned to Castiel. ‘Seriously man, this is really awesome of you. Are you sure you don’t mind?’

‘If I minded I wouldn’t have offered. It would be weird for me to go but not Lisa; it’s not like we need to add any fuel to the fire of the bromance rumours,’ he joked.

Dean frowned and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘You know I don’t care about that stuff right? The joking around about us being boyfriends or whatever. It doesn’t bother me.’

Castiel tilted his head, surprised that Dean had taken his joke so seriously. ‘I know, Dean. I was just kidding. Go on, you guys have a great time. I’ll pick up a change of clothes at my place on the way in case you can talk Lisa into spending the night.’ Dean gratefully pulled Castiel into a hug.

‘You are the actual best, Cas. Thank you.’

 

‘Thanks so much for stepping in at the last minute, Cas. It’s just typical that the sitter would get food poisoning tonight of all nights.’ Lisa finished clasping her earring and gave Ben a kiss. ‘Be good for Uncle Cas, OK? I love you, I’ll see you later.’

‘Bye Mom, tell Dean I think he’s awesome!’

‘I will sweetie. Why don’t you go finish your homework before dinner?’ Ben dashed off and Lisa turned back to Castiel. ‘Again, I really appreciate it.’

‘It’s my pleasure, honestly. I know Dean would have been terribly disappointed if you weren’t there, and I enjoy Ben’s company.’

‘Did Dean already give you the info?’

‘Of course. No hard liquor, only beer, and as much sugar as possible right before bed. Make sure he stays up all night playing video games, with breaks to jump on the bed and spin around in circles until he’s sick. Did I miss anything?’ Lisa laughed and playfully smacked his arm.

‘Very funny smartass. There’s a casserole in the oven, it should be ready in about 20 minutes. Help yourself to anything else that’s in the fridge. I should be back by midnight.’

‘Take your time. Once you’ve seen Dean in his dress uniform, you won’t be in any rush to leave his side,’ he teased with a wink and a nudge. ‘I’ve got a change of clothes in case you need me to stay the night.’ Lisa tried to suppress a smile, pink rising into her cheeks.

‘I’ll keep that offer in mind. Thanks again!’

A few hours later, with Ben long since asleep, Castiel got a message from Dean.

 

**Turns out chicks really dig uniforms. :-D U still OK to stay there?**

**_Go get her, tiger. ;)_ **

**********

Halloween this time was The Roadhouse’s annual party, held on the 30th since that was a Saturday. Dean, Sam and Lisa had gotten coordinated costumes as Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach; Castiel, who apparently had a secret love of comic books, claimed to be John Constantine, but Dean thought he was cheating because he was just wearing a suit and the trenchcoat that he already owned; Meg went for a sexy vampire look, with a tight red dress, cape, and fake fangs; Charlie and Gilda rounded out the group as Frodo and Samwise from Lord of the Rings, who they claimed to ‘ship’.

Karaoke was particularly rowdy, with a big group sing of ‘Ghosbusters’, Dean’s enthusiastic rendition of 'Werewolves of London,’ and Castiel’s surprisingly good performance of ‘Thriller’ being the highlights. To maintain their now-tradition of singing bromantic duets, Dean and Castiel sang ‘I Put a Spell On You’ alternating the verses and singing together on the two-line chorus. They hammed it up as much as possible, which caused particular hilarity with Dean’s pillow-stuffed belly and large fake moustache.

Later, after Meg made good on her promise to ride him like a bitch from hell, she put an odd question to Castiel. ‘If Dean were a woman, would you be together?’

‘I have no idea. He’d be a different person if he were a woman, so I don’t know if I’d like him as a her.’

‘Well, just assuming he was exactly the same but with lady parts,’ she pressed.

‘I don’t know. Maybe.’ He wasn’t about to admit to Meg that not having lady parts wasn’t a total dealbreaker for him. ‘I think it’s more likely we’d still just be friends.’

‘Right, like you’re just friends now.’

‘Exactly.’ Meg snorted and rolled over to sleep, leaving Castiel feeling sufficiently baffled to keep him awake for a while longer.

**********

November brought one of the happiest moments Dean could remember- his Baby was finally fully restored and ready to drive, and she looked better than ever. He threw a party and insisted on giving everyone a spin around the block so they could experience her beautiful roar first-hand. Castiel was particularly happy to see her properly, as his previous glimpses had been of her passing him quickly in the dark, upside down in a ditch, and as a wreck in a salvage yard. He also felt slightly sad, as he realised that Dean having his car back would likely mean less time together, the services of the Lincoln no longer being required.

He was surprised, then, when he took his turn in the Impala and Dean cheerfully said, ‘Now I get to return the favour and drive you around everywhere for a year!’

‘You don’t have to do that, Dean.’

‘Hey, I know I did you a favour by providing you with my delightful company on all those drives, not to mention helping you use up more miles on the pimpmobile so you can get rid of it sooner, but I got some benefits out of it too,’ he explained with a cheeky grin. ‘Besides, my poor Baby needs to be driven. You’ll be helping me out too.’ He revved the engine to accentuate his point, and Castiel smiled at the appealing rumble.

‘OK, but only because my poor car could do with a rest. I have been thinking of getting a new one sometime in the next year. I thought something like Gabriel’s might be nice.’

It took another three trips around the block for Dean to finish his threats of what would happen to Castiel if he dared show up with a PT Cruiser anywhere in Dean’s vicinity. Castiel just smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Various holidays, big things afoot between Dean and Lisa, and Cas feels like he's living in Dr Sexy MD (but in a bad way)

It was nearly Thanksgiving, and the holiday brought some strain to the established dynamics. Castiel had been hoping to take Meg to meet his family, but she had made her own plans to go back to Tulsa before they’d had a chance to discuss it. Lisa was also skittish about including Dean in her plans, and took Ben to Indiana after explaining that it was too soon for family holidays. So it was that the Winchesters spent another Thanskgiving with the Harvelles, and Castiel found himself again interrogated in Wichita.

 

**Impala67: OMG dude, I’m getting multiple rounds of 20 questions for why I’m not with Lisa. Sucks to have to keep explaining that she’s not serious enough about me yet. :( How are things at your house?**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: Oh, just wonderful. Gabriel was apparently saving up everything he didn’t say when he came to visit, and Meg refusing to come with me just added ammunition.**

**Impala67: Bummer man. So what’s he saying?**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: Oh, just the usual. I think he’s got my mother half-convinced that you really are my boyfriend. On the bright side, she didn’t seem that upset by the concept once Gabe informed her that with the wonders of modern medicine we could still provide her with grandchildren. It’s nice to discover that one’s parents aren’t bad people.**

**Impala67: Aw, it’s good to know that our love will be accepted by your family babe ;)**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: I believe the expression is ‘bite me’ :-P**

**Impala67: Kinky!**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: I need more mature friends.**

**Impala67: You know you love me. I’m adorable.**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: You are. Now go eat some pie.**

**Impala67: Who says I’m not already eating pie?**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: You *are* eating pie, aren’t you?**

**Impala67: I am. It’s apple pie, and it’s delicious.**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: Sounds like your pie needs are being satisfied. I guess I don’t need to bother bringing back the pie my mother made then.**

**Impala67: How very dare you. My pie needs are never satisfied. Is it pecan again? Because that was awesome last year.**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: Yes, it’s her specialty.**

**Impala67: Sweet! Hey, do you think I’d get 2 pies if I was her son-in-law?**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: Only if you provide her with grandchildren.**

**Impala67: Aw man, too bad I’m on the pill. ;)**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: You’re a terrible person and I hate you.**

**Impala67: *puppy dog eyes***

***sexy pout***

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: OK, I don’t hate you and you can have pie. But make sure you stay on the pill :-P**

**Impala67: LOL! You got it baby. Gotta go, it’s turkey time! You back Sunday?**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: Saturday, I have to take over being on-call from Sunday morning.**

**Impala67: You seeing Meg that night?**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: She’s not back until Monday.**

**Impala67: Come hang out then, Sam and I are going to see National Treasure!**

**Ill_have_what_shes_having: OK, I’ll call you once I’m back. Happy Thanksgiving, Dean.**

**Impala67: You too Cas :) Don’t forget my PIE!!!!**

**********

_Mid-December_

 

‘Shh, babe, you gotta be quiet,’ Dean whispered from between Lisa’s legs.

‘You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?’ she gasped as his tongue returned to action.

‘Yep.’ Lisa put a pillow over her face to stifle the moan caused by Dean’s fingers joining his mouth. She came twice in quick succession as he found her G-spot, and then she grabbed his hair to stop his movements.

‘Get up here now,’ she growled. He climbed back up her body, kissing and licking along her hips and stomach, and pausing to bite at a nipple. She didn’t allow him to linger there, grabbing his hair again and giving him a fierce glare. ‘I said _now_.’ Damn, he liked it when Lisa was bossy.

‘Yes ma’am,’ Dean said eagerly, penetrating her quickly, roughly. He put her legs up on his shoulders and leaned forward to grab the headboard, bending her almost completely in half. He liked to joke that this was a much better version of the plough than what she did in her yoga classes, and when they were in the middle of it, she was hard-pressed to disagree. ‘Oh fuck, babe,’ he gasped as quietly as he could while Lisa squeezed around him with another orgasm. ‘Not gonna last if you keep doing that.’

‘I’ve had my fair share, go for it,’ she panted. Luckily she managed to squeeze one more in as Dean drove into her for the final time.

‘That was awesome. Just wish you could’ve screamed a bit.’

‘Well, that’s what happens when we have sex while Ben’s asleep across the hall. Quiet sex only.’ This was Dean’s first time staying over when Ben was home; they had discussed it extensively between themselves, and then asked Ben if he was OK with it. He’d been overjoyed at the prospect, though a bit less so when he realised that Dean wasn’t going to sleep in his room like his friends did during a slumber party.

‘That’s OK. Better quiet than not at all.’

Lisa cuddled against him. ‘I like having you here. As long as Ben’s OK in the morning, I’d like to do this more often.’

Dean kissed her forehead. ‘Me too. I love you.’

Lisa’s head shot up. ‘You do?’

‘Of course I do. You and Ben.’

Lisa squeezed him tightly, fighting back tears. ‘I love you too.’

‘Hey, it’s OK, don’t cry,’ he said soothingly, brushing away a tear track with his thumb.

‘I’m sorry, it’s just… I love the way you are with Ben. I know he loves you too, and it means a lot to me that you’re here with us. We’re really lucky.’

‘I’m the lucky one, you guys are awesome.’ They kissed and cuddled a bit more, with Lisa absently tracing her finger along his chest and stomach even when Dean complained that it tickled.

‘Are you doing anything tomorrow? I know we didn’t make any plans, but maybe you could spend the night again?’

‘Sorry babe, I can’t. Sam and Cas are coming over for movies, and Sam’s staying over afterwards.’

The teasing finger stopped. ‘Oh, right. Sacred movie night, how could I forget?’

‘Come on Lis, you know my time with Sam is important to me.’

‘I don’t see why Ben and I couldn’t join you some time.’

‘We could have a separate movie night together, babe. This one is kind of a bros thing.’

‘So why does Cas get to go?’

‘Cas is our brother from another mother. He’s great with Sam, and, I don’t know, it’s just a dudes thing we’ve got going on. You know that.’

Lisa sighed. ‘I know. Never mind. What about Sunday night?’

Dean tilted her chin up and gave her a soft kiss. ‘Yeah, I can do Sunday.’

‘Great. Goodnight Dean.’

‘Sweet dreams Lis.’

**********

 

‘I told Lisa that I love her.’

‘Wow, big step,’ Sam replied. ‘What did she say?’

‘She said it back,’ Dean smiled smugly.

‘Congratulations,’ Cas added, raising his beer bottle in a toast.

‘How about you and Meg? You’ve been together longer.’

‘I don’t think it’s that kind of relationship,’ Cas said sourly, ‘assuming it’s a relationship at all for much longer.’

‘Shit dude, what’s going on?’

‘We’re fighting again. She didn’t want to come to Thanksgiving with me, so I offered to go to Tulsa for Christmas with her if she was worried about meeting my huge family. She went off about how I was pushing too hard and rushing things, to which I said it’s been almost a year so maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’d like some sign of commitment. She just stormed out.’

‘Dude, what’s up with that?’ Dean asked. ‘Has she still not understood your awesomeness?’

‘Apparently not,’ Cas laughed bitterly.

‘So are you in love with her?’

‘I don’t know. She drives me crazy, and I’m happier when we’re together, but I’d really struggle to say the L word.’

‘Maybe she’s not the one for you, Cas,’ Sam chimed in.

‘I don’t really believe in “the one” or destiny. I just know that I like being with her, when we’re not fighting, and the sex is incredible. I know that’s not really a strong basis for a long-term relationship, but it’s what I’ve got.’

‘Hey, it’s not Christmas yet, she could still change her mind.’

‘Maybe.’

She didn’t. The blow-out fights about their future continued, and by the time the holiday actually came around, they had broken up again; he went to Wichita alone once more. It hit him harder this time, and even Gabriel was subdued in his teasing.

Meanwhile, Lisa’s family were coming down to Lawrence for Christmas this year; it was decided that Dean would spend Christmas Eve with them, and they’d do Christmas Day with their respective families.

 

_Christmas Day_

 

**Impala_67: Merry Christmas Cas! Get anything good from Santa? Ellen gave me some fancy-ass Scotch, and Lisa gave me some more Xbox games I can kick your ass at :-D**

**Party_On_Wayne: Merry Christmas Dean :) I received some very nice socks and ties, and a couple of books I’ve been wanting to read. I didn’t get what I really wanted though.**

**Impala_67: What was that?**

**Party_On_Wayne: A Christmas morning blowjob in the childhood bed where I used to dream of someday getting blowjobs. :(**

**Impala_67: Sorry, dude :( Stupid Meg. You missing her?**

**Party_On_Wayne: Yes.**

**Impala_67: Hey, you’re coming back for New Years, right?**

**Party_On_Wayne: Yes, I’ll be back in Lawrence on the 29th.**

**Impala_67: Want me to have Lisa set you up with one of her MILF friends for the party?**

**Party_On_Wayne: Are any of them also yoga instructors, or perhaps gymnasts/circus contortionists?**

**Impala_67: LOL! I’ll make sure to request a bendy one ;)**

**Party_On_Wayne: Thanks. Must dash, time to play with this year's Barbie collection.**

**Impala_67: Have fun, talk to you soon!**

**************

Lisa’s friend Kelly did turn out to be very bendy, but she was happy with a one night stand and so was Castiel. He was still hung up on Meg, and Dean hated to see his friend down, so he made a plan to throw them together by inviting her to his birthday party at the end of January. She was reluctant at first, but he kept taking surreptitious pictures of Castiel looking sad and sending them to her until she agreed. He knew he’d done the right thing by the way Castiel’s face lit up when he saw her, and it wasn’t long before they were making out in a dark corner of the bar.

The downside to Meg and Castiel being back together was that Dean didn’t get to see him as often. Lisa and Meg, despite having initially found some common ground as bromance widows, didn’t really get along very well, so double dates weren’t really on the agenda. It only made him more determined to keep movie nights sacred, and they still had lunch together in or near the precinct as often as possible.

Another excuse was added in February; Dean’s pay rise had allowed to him to scrape back his savings, and he had enough of a deposit to start house hunting. This was declared an official bro activity to be attended by Sam and Castiel only. It may also have been partially because Lisa wasn’t very happy about the prospect; she owned her house, and had assumed that when the time came for Dean to leave his rented apartment, it would be to move in with her. They had a couple of arguments, but he held firm, insisting it was an investment, and could be rented out or used by Sam eventually if they decided that he would move in with her later. Every so often Sam’s shifts didn’t allow him to go, though Dean suspected that at least some of the time this was an excuse so he didn’t have to be around the realtor, Becky, who looked at Sam like he was a cross between a god and a particularly tasty meal. On those occasions it was just Dean and Cas driving from open house to open house, and when the mood struck them, they played up the pretend boyfriends angle at houses Dean hated just to screw with people.

Dean had decided to look for a fixer-upper so he could get more house for his money. The one he eventually bought definitely fit that category. The upstairs was completely uninhabitable, a badly leaking roof having caused severe water damage to all the rooms. The previous owners had at least replaced that, but hadn’t been able to afford any further repairs, so they sold it instead. The downstairs consisted of an open plan living/dining room, kitchen, a bathroom, and an office that was being used as the only bedroom. The décor was hideous, but it was liveable, and Dean got the keys on the third of April.

The first couple of weeks were all hands on deck to get the ugly seventies wallpaper stripped from the entire downstairs. To Dean’s delight, when they removed the baby poop green carpet, an almost pristine hardwood floor was hiding underneath that just needed a bit of sanding and refinishing. When that was done, the furniture finally got moved in, and Dean was officially in residence by the third week of April- just in time to celebrate his and Lisa’s first anniversary with the first proper meal cooked in his new kitchen.

**********

_Late April_

 

**I_Am_Your_Father: Hello, Dean. Are you busy?**

**Impala67: Nah, just chatting with Charlie. What’s up?**

**I_Am_Your_Father: Besides your penis, I’m having a problem with my car.**

**Impala67: Uh oh, pimpmobile acting up? Hydraulics not bouncy enough?**

**I_Am_Your_Father: Haha. My battery keeps going flat, I’ve had to jump start it three times this week.**

**Impala67: Hmm, could be the alternator. Want me to come have a look?**

**I_Am_Your_Father: Could you? Whenever you have time. I can’t afford to pay a mechanic to just  poke around right now.**

**Impala67: Of course, man. I can do tomorrow while Lisa’s teaching,  but then I’m going to Wichita the next day for a training thing all week, so it would be the Sunday after that before I could get to it again.**

**I_Am_Your_Father: I’m going out of town the week after that, so it sounds like tomorrow’s the only good day. Late morning sometime?**

**Impala67: No problem, man, I’ll text you when I’m on my way.**

**I_Am_Your_Father: Thank you Dean, I appreciate it.**

**Impala67: Anytime Cas :)**

The next morning, Dean made the good coffee and put it into two thermos flasks to share with Castiel. He double-checked everything was off in the kitchen and texted as he’d promised.

 

**Hey Cas, leaving in a few, see you soon.**

**_Thank you :)_ **

****

Dean pocketed his phone, picked up his tune-up kit, and opened the door. To his surprise, Lisa was standing there with her hand raised as if she’d been about to knock.

‘Hey, Lis, what’re you doing here? I thought you were working.’ She wrapped her arms around his neck as he let her in and closed the door.

‘There was a burst pipe, they’ve closed the studio for today.’

‘Nice.’ She gave him a seductive smile and stepped back to unbutton her coat. It pooled on the floor to reveal a lacy black and red corset with stockings and a matching thong. ‘Niiiice,’ Dean said appreciatively. She pressed herself against him and ran her index finger along his jawline.

‘I thought we could spend the day together.’

‘I love your thinking, babe, but I promised Cas I’d help with his car today. I was just on my way out the door.’

‘Can’t you reschedule?’

‘This is the only day for 2 weeks we can both do. I should only be a couple of hours, max.’

‘Let me get this straight. I’m here, dressed like _this_ , offering you a day of hot sex, and you’re blowing me off to go work on a car?’

‘It’s not like that. Cas is counting on me.’

‘Of course, you couldn’t let _Cas_ down. God forbid.’ She grabbed her coat with a huff and buttoned it back up.

‘Come on Lisa, don’t be like that. I just need 2 hours, I’ll come right back.’

‘Dean Winchester, if you let me walk out that door, the only way you’re getting lucky today is if your precious Cas fucks you.’

‘What’s your problem with Cas all of a sudden?’ he asked defensively.

‘I’m just tired of always playing second fiddle to him, Dean.’

‘Hey, you’re not second fiddle. You’re both really important to me. He saved my life, Lisa. Hell, he introduced you to me, remember?’

‘Yes, Dean, I remember, though I’m starting to wonder why he bothered.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Nothing, never mind. Are you staying or not?’

‘I can’t,’ he insisted.

‘Fine.’ Lisa stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

It was a very grumpy Dean who turned up to work on the pimpmobile, which did in fact have a faulty alternator. When they drank their coffee afterwards, Castiel had to shake his head at Dean’s choice. ‘You could have just called me, Dean. I’m sure we could have rescheduled somehow.’

‘Dude, we had made plans. You should know by now I don’t blow people off without a very good reason. Anyway, I’m sure you’d have done the same for me. Or at least tried to. Meg would probably have you hogtied in under a minute if you tried to escape,’ he joked. Castiel’s smile faded and he looked down at his coffee mug. ‘Oh no, man. Don’t tell me you guys broke up _again_!’

‘I’m afraid my romantic life is starting to resemble Dr. Sexy MD far too much for my liking.’

‘When was it, and what happened this time?’

‘Last night. A not entirely dissimilar situation to yours, in fact. She said I’m not spontaneous enough. I told her it was difficult to be spontaneous when you don’t know if your car will start, so I really needed to get this done today. She used some very colourful language and said we’re through. Again.’ Dean shook his head and took out his hip flask, pouring a splash of bourbon in their coffees.

‘Man, I know you like her, but every time this happens, I understand it a little bit less.’

‘Me too. But I just can’t seem to stay away from her.’

‘Is the sex really that good?’

‘Yes,’ Castiel replied simply. Dean laughed and patted his back.

‘I’m sure eventually you’ll be able to find someone else to fulfil all your crazy sex needs, you kinky bastard. Maybe she won’t also be a crazy bitch.’

‘My worry is that the two things are mutually exclusive,’ Castiel replied with a smirk.

The break-up only lasted for about two weeks this time, with Meg crawling back completely of her own volition. It took a bit of convincing, but Castiel decided to take her back on the understanding that this would be the last time. Meg crossed her heart and uncrossed her legs, and Castiel wasn’t entirely sure which had been the most effective method in the end.

The beginning of June saw Dean take Lisa and Ben to Florida for a week, their first official vacation together. Ben came back gushing about rollercoasters and water rides, and Lisa was enthusiastic about the fact that they hadn’t killed each other during a whole week in close quarters, but Castiel noticed that Dean’s smiles didn’t quite reach his eyes as often as usual. He seemed happiest when working on the house or on movie nights; even karaoke ran a bit hot and cold, with cheerful laughter accompanying ‘Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong’ in the bromance duet, but a tighter smile for singing ‘Kiss The Girl’ to Lisa. Nobody else seemed to notice that anything was off; when Castiel brought it up to Sam, he put it down to post-vacation blues and work stress. By mid-July he’d had enough and decided to just confront Dean the next time they hung out alone.

‘Dean, can I ask you something?’

‘Sure, what’s up? Besides my penis.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, you’ve been different the last couple of months. Sadder. I didn’t want to push, but it’s gone on too long. You know you can talk to me?’ The corner of Dean’s mouth turned up briefly.

‘I know. Trust you to notice, nobody else has.’ Dean sighed and looked at Castiel. ‘About a month after mine and Lisa’s anniversary, I went ring shopping.’ Castiel’s eyebrows shot up.

‘Wow. That’s big.’

‘Yeah.’

‘You don’t have the air of a soon-to-be-happily-engaged man.’

‘No. I think it’s more likely that I’m a soon-to-be-single man.’

‘Oh dear.’

‘Yeah. The longer I looked at rings, the less I wanted to buy one. Eventually I realised that I was more excited about the thought of being Ben’s official step-dad than about being married to Lisa. Don’t get me wrong, Lisa’s great, but, I don’t know, it’s just sort of faded out. I’ve stayed in the relationship more for him than for her, and that’s not fair to any of us.’ Castiel hadn’t even realised that his stomach had turned into a knot until it relaxed at Dean’s admission. He squeezed Dean’s shoulder sympathetically.

‘I’m sorry Dean.’ Dean shrugged.

‘I think I’m going to have to do it soon to have any hope of keeping it amicable and getting to stay in contact with Ben. We’ve been fighting a lot lately.’

‘About what.’

‘Dumb shit. You, Sam-‘

‘You fight about me?’ Castiel interrupted.

‘Uh, yeah, nothing major, just sometimes she’ll want to do something last minute when I’ve already made plans with you, and she gets pissed that I don’t drop everything. Same with Sam. And this house, god, that’s been a sore subject. She thinks that me buying this house shows I’m not committed to her. I told her that once it’s ready it will be a bigger family house than she’s got and she and Ben could move here, and she said her house is plenty big enough for the three of us so why didn’t I move in with her, and believe me, telling her I wasn’t ready for that did not go down well.’

‘I’m sorry you’ve been suffering through all of this yourself. I’ve been so caught up in my own drama that I haven’t been a good friend to you.’ Dean punched Castiel’s shoulder lightly.

‘Hey, no way, Cas. I’ve been purposely shoving all this down. I just didn’t want to deal with it yet. You’ve been a great friend as always. Hey, speaking of your drama, how are things with Meg? Are you happy?’ Castiel shrugged.

‘I’m less happy when I’m not with her. Things are pretty good right now. We still fight, but I think that might just be because angry sex is Meg’s favourite. At least I know I’ll never have to pick out a ring. She said, and I quote, “I’d rather stab myself in the face with an ice pick than get married,” so I don’t have to worry about that.’

‘Don’t you want to settle down eventually though?’

‘I don’t need to get married to settle down with someone. There are other ways to show commitment.’ Dean nodded thoughtfully. ‘So do you have a plan for talking to Lisa?’

‘Sort of. I’m going to talk to her first, and then I’m going to talk to Ben. I don’t know when yet though.’

‘Let me know if you want to talk through it with me first.’

‘Thanks Cas, you’re the best.’

 

A few nights later, Castiel was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard soft knocking on his front door. Meg was still asleep with her eye mask and ear plugs, so he slipped on some loose shorts and went to see who it was. He was surprised to see Dean through the peephole and immediately opened the door.

‘Dean? Is everything OK?’

‘Not really. I’m sorry if I woke you up, I know it’s late, but Sam’s working and I just needed to talk to someone.’

‘Of course, come in.’ When he stepped inside, he saw Meg’s purse and jacket on the side table.

‘Oh shit, man, I didn’t realise Meg was here,’ he whispered. ‘I’ll just call you tomorrow.’

‘It’s fine, she’s sleeping. Have a seat, do you want anything to drink?’

‘Maybe some water, thanks.’ Castiel poured two glasses and sat next to Dean on the couch. ‘I split up with Lisa.’ Castiel put a supportive hand on Dean’s shoulder.

‘I’m sorry. I take it things didn’t go too well.’ Dean shook his head.

‘She was really upset. She asked if there was somebody else, which of course there isn’t, but I don’t know if she believed me. And Ben… god, that was even worse. I told him, both of them, that I wanted to stay friends, and be involved in Ben’s life, and he told me he didn’t want to see me for a while. That really hurt,’ Dean finished, his voice finally cracking as the tears came. Castiel scooted closer and put his arms around Dean, who turned into his embrace, shoulders shaking. He tried to make the appropriately soothing ‘there there’ sort of noises and patted Dean’s back, but he knew that Dean just needed to cry it out a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, Castiel saw movement, and realised that Meg had opened the bedroom door. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at him, but he just put a finger to his lips. She put up her hands and retreated back into the bedroom; he would explain it to her later, but right now he didn’t think her presence would be beneficial.

Eventually Dean began to calm down, and Castiel released him with a final gentle rub of his upper back. Dean gulped the water and flopped back against the couch. ‘Sorry about that, Cas. I feel like you always have to suffer through my chick flick moments.’

‘That’s OK, I love chick flicks,’ Castiel replied, getting a small smile out of Dean. ‘Do you want to sleep here?’

‘I don’t want to cramp your style, man, you’ve got your girlfriend over.’

‘I’m worried about you driving like this. Just take a nap on the couch for a bit.’

‘OK, thanks Cas. I’ll be out of your hair before you guys have to get up, I promise.’

‘Not to worry. I’ll just get you a pillow and sheets.’ Castiel quickly acquired the bedding from the hallway cupboard and prepared the couch while Dean took off his shoes and set his alarm for a two hour nap.

‘Thanks again Cas. Knew I could count on you to make me feel better. Goodnight.’ They hugged again and Castiel returned to his room wishing Dean a restful sleep. Meg was sitting up in bed when he got back.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked in a surprisingly gentle tone. He slipped under the covers and kissed her cheek.

‘Dean split up with Lisa tonight, and it didn’t go well, especially with Ben.’ Meg’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Holy shit. I assumed those two would get hitched.’

‘They did too. But when it came to actually popping the question, Dean found that he didn’t want to after all.’

‘Did you know he was going to do this?’

‘Yes, I just didn’t know when.’

‘Why did he come here?’

‘He was upset, and Sam’s working a night shift, so tonight I played the role of brother number two.’

‘Right. I didn’t hear him leave.’

‘I told him to crash on the couch for a bit, he was too tired to drive. He’ll leave in a couple of hours once he’s had some rest. I’m sorry I woke you.’ Meg snuggled in against him and began walking her fingers down his stomach.

‘Well, since I am awake…’ Castiel grasped her wrist gently.

‘Come on Meg, not now.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because you’re incapable of being quiet, and I’m not going to make Dean listen to us when he’s just had his heart broken.’ Meg pouted, but kept her hands to herself.

‘Fine. But you owe me an orgasm when he leaves.’

‘It’s a promise.’


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best way to sum up this chapter is: dunh dunh DUUUUNH! (ominous music)

_Late July_

Dean was just coming off shift when he got a call from Rufus Turner, a hardboiled homicide detective with a taste for fine whisky. He told Dean there was a crime scene he’d want to see right away, but in typical Rufus fashion, hung up before Dean could get anything other than the location from him. Waving goodbye to Victor, he headed to the address Rufus had given him. It was a non-descript alleyway between two warehouses in a rough part of town. Dean pulled up to the scene and parked the Impala next to a cruiser that still had its lights flashing. He shook hands with the lead detective. ‘What have we got, Rufus?’

‘Dead hooker,’ he replied brusquely.

Dean frowned. ‘Uh, usually I only get called out for the live ones, man.’

‘I know, but as soon as we got an ID, I thought you’d want to know. Come on.’ Rufus and Dean slipped under the yellow tape and stepped carefully around the evidence markers scattered around the alley. Rufus squatted down next to the body and pulled back the sheet. ‘Ruby Cortese, age twenty-four, stabbed multiple times, choked around the neck with bare hands, and bludgeoned with a blunt instrument.’ Dean’s eyes went wide.

‘Holy shit.’

‘Like I said, thought you’d want to know.’

‘Yeah, thanks Rufus. Jesus. I hated her guts, but… shit, she didn’t deserve to go out like that. Any witnesses?’

‘Yeah, homeless guy. Garth’s taking his statement now if you want to listen in.’

‘I will, thanks Rufus.’ Dean walked over to wear Rufus’s partner, Garth Fitzgerald, was talking to a dishevelled-looking bearded man in an over-large coat and knit cap.

‘OK, so the man was holding the girl against the wall.’ The witness nodded.

‘Yeah. He was choking her, she was trying to talk but it looked like she couldn’t really breathe. Then he let her go and punched her a few times. He put a knife up to her throat and said that nobody got away from him, but she just spit in his face and said, “Sam did!” He didn’t like that.’ Dean’s blood ran cold, and he rushed in before Garth could speak.

‘Did you say something about a Sam?’ he asked earnestly.

‘Yeah, the yellow-eyed guy was yelling at the attractive crying lady, and when she said that, he just stabbed her a bunch of times and then ran away.’

‘Yellow-eyed guy?’

‘Yeah man, I know it’s weird, but the guy had yellow eyes, I swear.’ Yellow eyes. Those creepy contact lenses Sam had talked about- Azazel. Shit- Sam was not going to be happy. Suddenly he felt a cold chill down his spine; Azazel in Lawrence- was he looking for Sam? He’d need to sort out some kind of security detail around him. But first he had to talk to the poor kid. Once he was back in the Impala, Dean called Crowley.

‘Hello Squirrel,’ he greeted Dean in his usual chipper way. ‘To what do I owe this pleasure?’

‘Hey man. I’m going to need your help with something.’ He explained the situation, and Crowley tutted sympathetically.

‘Sam will be upset,’ he agreed. ‘You want me there for backup?’

‘Yeah. I’m not exactly sensitive when it comes to Ruby. I’m afraid of saying something stupid. I don’t wanna set him off.’

‘I understand. He’s on a night shift isn’t he?’

‘Yeah, gets off at seven, I was planning on swinging by his place so I don’t freak him out too much by showing up at his work.’

‘Why don’t you bring him here? I’ll have the kettle on for seven thirty.’

‘Thanks Crowley. See you in the morning.’ He briefly considered calling Castiel to cancel their plans, but changed his mind when he realised how late it was. He’d wait until morning.

**********

Usually Castiel was happy to take things slowly and make them last, but this time Meg was taking it to a ridiculous extreme. Two hours of teasing was just unfair, especially when _she_ had been able to get off half a dozen times thanks to Castiel’s efforts.

‘Dammit Meg,’ he said to gritted teeth, ‘need to come!’ She continued her teasing, running her fingers and tongue everywhere but where Cas really wanted them.

‘What’s the rush, lover? We’ve got all night. All weekend in fact.’

‘I have to go out tomorrow,’ he moaned as she brushed her stockinged leg over his erection.

‘Why’s that?’

‘I’m helping Dean paint his living room.’ Meg made an exasperated noise and jumped off the bed.

‘Ugh, of course, Dean. Who else? You know what, Clarence, I’m sick of feeling like there’s a third person in this bedroom when I’m not even getting the fun of a third person in this bedroom. Sort yourself out and,’ she waved in the general direction of his crotch, ‘sort _yourself_ out.’ With that she grabbed her clothes and stormed out. Cas waited until he heard the outer door slam shut before sorting himself out.

Perhaps Meg had a point, he thought as he began to stroke himself. Maybe a threesome could be fun. His higher cognitive functions twitched slightly as if to tell him that this was probably not the point Meg wanted him to take from the argument, but she’d left him hanging for so long that it was mostly the lizard brain in charge at this point. He pictured that third body, trying on a couple of options for size, but ending up on another man; he figured that would be Meg’s preference. He’d be athletic and handsome, pushing up behind her while Cas was at her front. Or perhaps Cas would do her doggy-style while she sucked the other guy off. Knowing Meg, she’d probably want to watch him do something with the guy too; it wouldn’t be the first he’d done something like that. _Hmm, yes, this is working_ , he thought, stroking faster. He’d suck the guy off, and then kiss his way up the muscular chest dusted in freckles, along the strong jaw, to the full lips, rubbing his own erection against Dean’s stomach until-

Cas came hard, pumping vigorously through the intense satisfaction. He lay there for a while, breaths quick and shallow, and thought, _Huh, that happened_. He didn’t read too much into it; Meg had specifically mentioned Dean and threesomes in the same breath, and he wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders. It made sense for the occasional wire to get crossed in such a moment, they were really close friends, best friends in fact. No big deal. After cleaning himself up, he rolled over and fell asleep.

He awoke to his phone playing Eye of the Tiger at what seemed an impossibly early hour. He reached over and groggily answered. ‘Dean?’

‘Hey man, how are you?’

_Oh, fine. I jerked off to the thought of you fucking my girlfriend and me last night. What’s new with you?_   ‘Fine, just a bit tired. What’s with the early wake-up call?’

‘Sorry about that. Listen, I’m gonna have to cancel today.’ That woke Castiel up; Dean _never_ cancelled.

‘Is something wrong?’

‘Kind of. I was just coming off duty last night when a call came in of a prostitute’s body found in an alley. Turns out it was Ruby. You know, Sam’s old-‘

‘Yes, I know. How’s Sam taken it?’

‘I haven’t told him yet. He’s been on a night shift, I’m picking him up in a little while and taking him to Crowley’s for the conversation. I’m really not looking forward to it.’

‘I can imagine. Was it an OD?’

‘She was murdered.’

‘Shit.’

‘Yeah. So if you don’t mind, I’m gonna stay with Sam today, make sure he’s ok.’

‘Of course, no problem. Please send him my regards, and call if you need anything.’

‘Thanks, Cas, you’re the best. But I think this is one for me and Crowley to handle ourselves. I’ll be in touch soon.’ Castiel rubbed his eyes, fairly certain he wasn’t going to fall asleep again. It was only seven, too early to call Meg, so he sent her a text.

**Sorry about last night. Cancelled with Dean, all yours today. xoxo**

He figured it was just a little white lie, and Dean surely wouldn’t mind.

**********

Sam wasn’t long back from work when Dean pulled up outside his apartment. ‘Hey Dean, what are you doing here?’ Sam asked with a smile.

‘Hey Sam. Uh, Crowley and I need to talk to you about something at his house.’

‘Um, ok, sounds serious. Are you OK?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Just… can you come with me?’

‘Sure. Let me just put some shoes on.’ The complex was just a few blocks from Crowley’s house, so they decided to walk it. Crowley was putting out a tray with coffee when they let themselves in.

‘Hello boys. Please come in and have a seat.’ Sam sat down and took a cup, eyeing them both warily.

‘What’s going on guys? I’m worried now.’ Dean and Crowley exchanged glances, and the latter nodded.

‘Sam, it’s, uh… it’s Ruby. She’s… been killed.’ Sam’s face went pale.

‘What?’ Dean put a hand on Sam’s forearm, but he shook it off. ‘When? How?’

‘Earlier tonight. She was stabbed.’ Sam was shaking now, and buried his head in his hands. ‘Listen, Sam… there was a witness, a homeless guy. He said the killer… he had yellow eyes.’ Sam’s head shot up.

‘Azazel.’

‘I think so.’

‘Oh my god. How did you hear about this so fast?’ Dean cleared his throat and shifted nervously.

‘Um…it happened here.’ Sam jumped to his feet.

‘WHAT? She was in Lawrence?’

‘Looks like it.’

‘Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god. This is my fault.’

‘Sam, no,’ Dean began, but Crowley put his hand up to stop him.

‘Why would you think this is your fault, Moose?’ Crowley asked gently.

‘Ruby didn’t have anybody. And I abandoned her. I just left her and now she’s dead.’ Crowley shook his head.

‘Come on, Sam, take a step back from your emotions. Does that really make sense?’

‘Yeah, it does Crowley! If she was in Lawrence, it’s because she was looking for me! She needed my help.’

‘Sam, I swear to you, I am going to find him,’ Dean promised earnestly.

‘Like you fucking care!’ Sam shouted. ‘You hated her, you’re probably glad she’s dead!’ Crowley shot Dean a pointed look, warning him not to rise to it. When Dean replied, his voice was soft and placatory.

‘I _do_ care, Sam. Look, I didn’t like Ruby, I didn’t like what she did to you, but she didn’t deserve that. Maybe she was looking for you, I don’t know. I think she _was_ trying to get away from Azazel, and that’s why he killed her.’ Sam sank back into the chair looking shell-shocked. Dean squatted down to meet Sam’s eyes. ‘I’m going to find out what happened. I’m going to get that son of a bitch. And I’m going to make him pay. For everything. And I won’t let him hurt you.’

‘Hurt me?’

‘We don’t know if he’s left town or not. If he’s still around…’ Sam’s face went pale, but he shook his head.

‘I didn’t owe him any money. Ruby… she worked for him, on the street. She probably owed him something. I don’t think he’d have a reason to come after me.’

‘I’d rather not take the chance. Would you be OK with having a uniform in your neighbourhood, just until we can find his location? Your work should be fine, he’s less likely to approach you in a public place.’ Sam nodded, hugging himself with his long arms.

‘Why don’t you boys rest here for a little while? There’s plenty of space.’ Dean nodded.

‘That would be great, thanks Crowley. You want me to pick anything up at your place right now, Sam?’

‘No, I’m OK,’ he replied weakly. ‘I, uh…’ He looked at Crowley, absently scratching at his left elbow. Crowley stood and refilled Sam’s coffee cup.

‘Dean, pet. Would you be a dear and go pick us up some breakfast?’ Dean opened his mouth to protest, but the look Crowley gave him shut him up.

‘Yeah, I’ll grab some pancakes and stuff from the diner, I’m starving.’ Dean grabbed the keys and took the long way around to give Crowley plenty of time to do whatever it was he needed to do. As he was carrying the food bag out to the car, he got a text from Crowley.

**Safe to come back**

The engine roared to life as he sped back to the house. Sam was red-eyed, but looked calmer now, and even gave Dean a slight smile when his brother handed him a breakfast box.

‘Squirrel, won’t you come help me in the kitchen?’ The two of them went through and Crowley took the maple syrup from the cupboard while Dean pulled out plates. ‘I’ve talked him down, but he’s in a fragile place. I think it would be a good idea for him to stay with me for now. He’s already agreed, but I think it would mean a lot to him to have your support. Can you spend a couple of days as well?’

‘Yeah, of course, I was just going to paint this weekend, I’ve already called Cas to cancel.’ Crowley patted Dean’s arm.

‘He’ll be OK. We’ll see him through it.’

‘Thanks man. I appreciate the help.’ They carried things back to the living room and found Sam already eating his bacon. He took the offered plate and syrup while Dean sat beside him. The conversation was subdued, and once he’d finished his food, Sam asked to be excused to go to bed. Crowley walked him up to his room before returning to Dean. ‘All good?’

Crowley nodded. ‘Get some rest, Dean. I can’t imagine you’ve had much of it. Your room is the one next to Sam’s if you want it.’

‘Thanks, Crowley. I really appreciate it.’

Dean had to go back to work on Monday for a week of night shifts, but Sam was able to stay at Crowley’s for another couple of days. The latter had spoken to the manager of the Gas N Sip, who was very understanding and switched around the rotas to give Sam a few days off. On Thursday morning, Crowley had to go out of town, and Sam was feeling better, so he went back to his own place feeling a bit less raw than before.

**********

Castiel was woken up in the middle of the night by his phone ringing. His bleary eyes made out that it was 2:43am, and the caller ID said Sam. He jerked awake and answered. ‘Sam? What’s wrong?’

‘Cas. I need help,’ came a weak voice. Castiel put the phone on speaker and jumped out of bed to get dressed.

‘What’s going on? Are you OK? Is Dean OK?’

‘Dean’s working, and Crowley’s out of town. I didn’t know who else to go to. I’m sorry if I woke you up.’

‘Not at all, you did the right thing. Where are you?’

‘Home.’

‘I’ll be there as quickly as I can.’

‘Thanks Cas. Please hurry.’ Castiel hung up and slipped into a pair of loafers, then ran out the door. Mercifully, the Lincoln started up first time, and he raced through the empty streets to knock on Sam’s door less than ten minutes later. The young man had dark circles under his eyes and he was trembling. Castiel walked in and threw his arms around him.

‘It’s OK, I’m here. Come on, let’s get some tea on.’ He steered Sam towards the kitchenette and put a mug of water into the microwave. Digging through the cupboard, he found some camomile tea and put it in once the water was hot. They sat together on the sofa, and Sam sipped between taking deep breaths. ‘When you’re ready, tell me what happened.’ It was another few minutes before he’d calmed down enough, and his voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke.

‘There was a news report about Ruby. It made me feel sick, and then I wanted to use.’ Castiel rubbed his back lightly.

‘Did you?’ Sam shook his head. ‘Did you get anything?’ Another shake. ‘Do you know where you can get it?’ This time a nod.

‘I found out when I first moved. Just in case.’

‘In case of what?’

‘In case… in case Dean decided I wasn’t worth the trouble.’

‘That’s never going to happen, you know that right?’ Another nod.

‘Yeah. That’s why I didn’t get any.’

‘That’s good, Sam. You’re doing great, this has been a really hard time for you and you’re getting through it.’

‘It was close. I came really close to calling the guy.’

‘But you called me instead.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Don’t be sorry. You can always call me. We’re family, right?’ Sam wrapped him in a tight hug.

‘Thanks, Cas.’

‘You’re welcome, Sam. Now, what time does Dean get off shift?’

‘Uh, six I think.’

‘OK. I’ll stay here until you can talk to him.’ Castiel got Sam back into bed, where eventually exhaustion won out and he fell asleep. Castiel crashed on the couch, his alarm set for six. Sam must also have done so, because he heard a beeping from behind the curtain of the bed nook. ‘Should I make some coffee, Sam?’ he called out.

‘Yeah, please. I’ll call Dean.’ Castiel prepared enough coffee for three while Sam made the call. ‘Hey Dean. Can you swing by before you go home? I’m fine, I just had a rough night and want to see you. OK, thanks, see you soon. Bye.’

Sam lumbered into the kitchenette and gratefully accepted the steaming cup from Castiel. They stood drinking in silence until Dean arrived a few minutes later.

‘Sam? You OK?’ he called out after letting himself in. Sam dashed to his brother and hugged him. ‘Hey Sammy, what’s up? Besides-‘

‘Besides your penis,’ Sam finished for him with a weak smile. ‘It was a hard night. I saw a news report about Ruby and I got upset. I had kind of a close call. But I’m OK now.’ Dean tightened his grip and then pulled back to look at Sam’s face.

‘Oh geez, Sam. You look like you need some coffee, let me make you some.’

‘Cas already has a pot on.’

‘Cas is here?’

‘Yeah, I called him last night.’

‘And he came over? When?’

‘Yeah, it was like three in the morning. You were working and Crowley’s away, so…’ Dean looked around Sam and saw Cas wave from breakfast bar. Releasing Sam, he practically ran towards Cas and nearly knocked him over with the force of his hug.

‘Jesus, Cas, it’s like you’re the personal Winchester guardian angel,’ he whispered so Sam wouldn’t hear. ‘Thank you.’

‘Either of you would do the same for me. Family, right?’

‘Damn right.’ He thumped Castiel’s back and let him go to wipe his damp eyes. ‘Hey, how about we go get some breakfast?’

Dean drove to the nearest diner, keeping topics light until the three of them began to droop despite the bottomless coffee. Sam was dropped off first and tucked in by Dean, who made a ridiculous production of singing him a lullaby until Sam made loud fake snoring sounds to make him stop. ‘Sweet dreams, Sammy,’ he said with a squeeze of Sam’s hand.

Castiel and Dean walked back out and leaned against the Lincoln. ‘He knows of a source,’ Castiel said quietly. ‘He didn’t call, but he has a number.’ Dean nodded.

‘He’ll tell me when he’s ready, and I’ll bust the bastard.’

‘I should get back, and you should go get some sleep too.’

‘I’m gonna crash on Sam’s couch. Cas-‘

‘It’s OK, Dean. I’m glad I could help. I’m glad Sam trusted me enough to call.’ Dean hugged him again.

‘You’re a fucking wonder, Cas. We’d probably both be dead in a ditch if not for you.’

‘Dean-‘

‘No man, it’s true. It’s thanks to you that I’m around, and I know things wouldn’t have gone the same for Sam if I weren’t here. And if you hadn’t been there last night… shit, I don’t even want to think about it. I can’t imagine him having trusted Lisa enough to call her if we’d still been together. She always kept her distance a bit from Sam; I think she was afraid that his past would end up hurting Ben in some way and I get it, but… Sam comes first for me, and she never would’ve been able to handle that. You don’t even question it. You’re just awesome.’ Castiel’s heart flipped a bit.

‘Thanks, Dean. You and Sam are awesome too. I’m glad we’re friends- family. Now, enough chick flick moments, go get some sleep.’

‘You too,’ Dean laughed. ‘Sweet dreams.’

**********

Less than a week later, Rufus came knocking on Dean’s office door. ‘Dean, we’ve got a lead on Azazel.’ Dean jumped from his chair.

‘What? Where?’

‘Bastard’s still in Lawrence for some reason, the trail leads to some empty houses on the western outskirts of town. I’m just waiting to hear from my scouts, and then we’re going in full SWAT. You want in?’

‘Hell yeah I want in. Vic, you comin’ man?’ Victor was already sliding on his holster.

‘Of course, somebody needs to keep your sorry ass out of trouble, Winchester,’ he teased. Dean grabbed the man’s arm.

‘I know you’re joking, but you really may have to. This is the dick that got my brother on heroin, and I’m pretty sure he’s still in town because he’s trying to find a way to get to him. I find myself to be a pretty big fan of police brutality when I think of that son of a bitch.’ Victor nodded.

‘I’ll keep you from doing anything too stupid.’

They joined Rufus and Garth in the homicide office, and soon the call they were waiting for came through; Azazel had been seen at the address. SWAT was advised, and within a matter of minutes, the street was closed off and the building surrounded. When they busted in, Azazel was calmly eating soup at a folding table in an otherwise barren living room. The SWAT leader shouted at him to get on his knees with hands up, and the man began to comply. It was Dean who first saw the glint of a knife in the man’s hand. Without thinking, he threw himself at Azazel, knocking the knife loose, and began pummelling him with flying fists. Victor ran forward and pulled him off, reacting perhaps slightly more slowly than usual, and two SWAT officers grabbed the unconscious drug dealer and handcuffed him.

Dean was breathing hard, itching to get his hands on the scumbag, but Victor held him back and eventually talked him down. An ambulance arrived to take Azazel to the hospital, and Rufus and Garth joined Dean and Victor when the forensics unit arrived.

‘He had a knife, Dean, you were within your rights,’ Rufus assured him. ‘You’ll probably have a short suspension during the investigation, but that’s standard.’

‘I think we can all agree that I intervened as quickly as possible and absolutely did not give Dean time to get a few well-earned punches in,’ Victor added. Rufus and Garth nodded, and Garth gave Dean a bear hug.

‘We got ‘im, Dean. We got ‘im.’ Dean clapped Garth on the back, and the detectives drove back to the precinct for the paperwork. Bobby called him into his office immediately and began with the formalities.

‘Detective Winchester, I understand that you attacked the suspect in self-defence as he was armed and dangerous. The suspect’s attorney called from the hospital and claims excessive force was used, so I will have to launch an investigation through IA. During that time, you will be suspended with pay, and must hand over your badge and gun to me for safekeeping.’ Dean handed them to Bobby wordlessly. Bobby came around his desk and wrapped him in a hug. ‘Ya idjit. You could have been killed. But you got him. You did it, Dean.’ Dean held back the tears that were threatening to take hold; he’d get them out later.

‘Thanks Bobby. I’d better go talk to Sam. Can we keep the uniform there until we find out whether he makes bail?’

‘Of course, son. I’ll keep you posted.’ Dean walked back to his office and picked up his jacket and bag.

‘Well Vic, I’m off to have some taxpayer-funded R&R. Thanks for today.’ Victor offered him a hearty handshake and told him to enjoy himself. Dean walked out into the hallway and took out his phone, preparing to call Sam when a pair of arms wrapped around him.

‘Dean!’ came Castiel’s panicked voice. ‘I heard what happened! Are you OK?’ Dean squeezed back, a new calmness coursing through him from his friend’s strength.

‘I’m fine, Cas. We got the son of a bitch. I’m suspended while IA investigates, but it was worth it for getting to punch his face into mush.’

‘I’m proud of you, Dean.’ Neither of them seemed in a hurry to let go; Dean felt the tears finally fall and was happy for the support, and Castiel was happy to provide it. They were only interrupted when Charlie’s voice rang out down the corridor.

‘DEAN!’ she shouted, barrelling into them to make a group hug. ‘You did it!’ He just nodded, too choked up now to say anything. They stood there for another couple of minutes, ignoring the hubbub of the station around them. Castiel eventually broke the silence.

‘Have you told Sam yet?’ Dean finally pulled away and wiped his eyes.

‘No, I was going to call him. But now I’m thinking I might just go over to his place and tell him in person.’

‘Are you OK to drive? I can take you if you want.’

‘Nah, it’s OK man, the pimpmobile can relax. I’ll probably crash at his place afterwards. Thanks guys. I’ll call you tomorrow.’ They gave him another hug and sent him on his way.

**********

During Dean’s three-week suspension, Castiel naturally spent more of his time with him and Sam, much to Meg’s jealous displeasure. He hadn’t meant for _it_ to happen again, but she just had to keep harping on about Dean- one day he was Castiel’s boyfriend, the next his ‘gay thing’, and if she was really annoyed (such as on a day when he was planning to hang out with Dean and wouldn’t answer her booty call), she made particularly crude remarks about the ways she presumed they were having sex.

‘But his nails aren’t as long as mine, Clarence, he can’t give you a proper scratching. I’ll admit that his spankings are probably harder.’

‘I get it, he’s got hot abs, and I guess you get a good long look when you’re sucking him off.’

‘He’s the top, isn’t he? I can’t see him being the bend over and take it type.’

Castiel was sick of it, and at one point even stopped answering her calls. She finally realised that she’d gone too far, and made it up to him by showing up in a leather catsuit and dangling handcuffs from her fingertip to accept her punishment; but while he took the peace offering, the damage had already been done. He’d jerked off over her ‘suggestions’ three times; one of those times he’d started while she was still on the phone shouting at him, though fortunately she’d hung up before it became noticeable. He felt a bit guilty thinking of his best friend that way, but this was clearly Meg’s fault. She was the one who kept making extremely explicit sexual comments about him and Dean while simultaneously withholding the sex he was wanting to have. Of course his brain would get all confused. Once she got back into his bed, she stopped making the comments, and he changed his spank bank images to ensure no Winchesters of any kind.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean, Cas and Meg go clubbing; Sam has some news; Meg gets under Dean's skin; Halloween brings some changes.

‘Let’s go clubbing,’ Dean said out of the blue one hot August afternoon. Castiel, Meg, Charlie and Sam were at Dean’s house stripping out the mouldy drywall and carpets from the upstairs rooms, and nothing in the conversation to that point could even remotely segue into clubbing.

‘You want to go clubbing?’ Sam asked incredulously.

‘Yeah. I feel like doing something completely different. Bust out of the routine.’

‘I love you Dean, but there’s no way I’m going clubbing,’ Charlie replied. ‘Sweaty dance floor full of gropey dudes? No thank you.’

‘Yeah, not for me either. The clubs in Lawrence are not a good scene for me,’ Sam added.

‘I’m up for it,’ Meg said. ‘And Clarence will come, won’t you angel?’

‘Why not?’

The plan was made for Dean, Castiel and Meg to go out that night to The Snakehole Lounge after they’d cleaned up from the sweaty renovation work. Castiel volunteered to be DD; first he picked up Meg, who had changed into a red leather miniskirt, knee high black boots, and a corset a size too small to contain her bust with any semblance of respectability. Castiel had put on low slung black jeans and a blue button-down, which Meg had previously declared his sexiest outfit. They then picked up Dean, who was clearly looking to impress; he wore his most form-fitting jeans and a green dress shirt that matched his eyes. He had kept a perfect amount of scruff on his face, and wore his best cologne. Meg gave him a frank appraisal as he walked down the driveway.

‘Damn. Somebody’s getting lucky tonight,’ she muttered. ‘Don’t suppose it could be us?’ she asked Castiel with a mischievous grin.

‘Very funny,’ he replied, almost wishing it could be.

‘Hey guys!’ Dean said as he slid into the back seat of the Lincoln. ‘Ready to party?’

‘Always, hot stuff,’ Meg leered. Dean just snorted.

The club was definitely of the meat market variety, with thumping music, low lights, and a crowded dance floor meant to encourage close quarters dancing. Dean downed a couple of shots and made his way to the floor, where he was almost instantly surrounded by several attractive women trying to dance with him. He and Castiel exchanged a smile across the floor as Meg wasted no time in pressing herself against her boyfriend, hips moving sinuously to the beat. Dean began bumping and grinding with a blonde who had managed to get herself in the right position, and in the next song it was a redhead who got his attention. Castiel excused himself from Meg’s side to get them some more drinks, and when he came back he saw that Dean’s situation had changed again. Instead of a girl pressing her back against him, the latest one, a brunette, was facing him, arms draped over his shoulders. Their hips were moving in sync, Dean’s hand at the small of her back pushing her closer. Their eyes were locked, their lips almost touching.

When the song transitioned into the next one, the brunette pushed Dean out of the crowd and against a nearby pillar, where she whispered something in his ear that made him smile and then kissed him full on the mouth. Castiel downed his drink and turned to Meg, who had stuck her hand in his back pocket.

‘I think Dean’s found what he was after,’ she shouted near his ear when he bent down. ‘How about you and me get out of here?’

‘You read my mind.’ Dean’s dance partner had released his mouth and was kissing her way down his neck now, so Meg took advantage of his partially open eyes to wave for his attention. He furrowed his brow in confusion, but Meg pointed between herself and Castiel, indicated towards the exit, made a vulgar hip thrusting motion and gave him an exaggerated wave goodbye. He smirked and gave her a thumbs up behind the brunette’s back. Cas mimed for Dean to call him, which got another nod, but then the girl was back to Dean’s mouth and he stopped paying attention.

The air outside was significantly fresher than in the club, if not all that much cooler. Cas strolled to the car with his arm draped over Meg’s shoulders. ‘Hopefully that will cheer him up,’ he commented. Meg snorted.

‘Did you see the cleavage on that chick? It cheered _me_ up, and I wasn’t even the one getting to grope it.’

‘That _is_ a shame, I’d love to have seen that.’ Meg smirked at him.

‘Sadly, Dean got there first. You’ll have to make do with me blowing you on our way home.’ Cas was able to live with this consolation prize.

**********

**Oh my fucking god Cas**

**_Good night?_ **

**I could barely feel my toes this morning**

**_Sounds energetic ;)_ **

**You have no idea. I’ll tell you all about next time we hang out. Beers at my place tonight?**

**_Sure, see you later._ **

****

‘She made me fuck her for like, two hours between all my various available parts. So hot.’

‘Did you get a name?’

‘Duh. Name AND number. Her name is Amara Edlund, and we’re officially fuck buddies.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Fuck buddies. We both liked last night, we both don’t want relationships right now, but we do both want crazy amounts of mind-blowing, borderline illegal sex. So, fuck buddies.’

‘Sounds like a good deal,’ Castiel admitted.

‘How about you? Meg was looking at you like I look at pie, I’m guessing you got lucky too?’

‘I did well enough. She was walking a bit funny when she left this morning.’ Dean offered a high five that was enthusiastically met. Castiel raised his beer bottle in a toast. ‘Here’s to mind-blowing, borderline illegal sex for both of us.’

‘Hear, hear!’ Dean agreed, clinking his bottle against Castiel’s.

**********

Sam picked up another art history class at KU when the semester started in the third week of August. Dean was proud of how well Sam had pulled through the horror of Ruby’s murder and Azazel’s arrest, and was glad that he’d kept up with his interest in school. With his previous credits from Stanford, his advisor had even said there was a chance he could complete a degree with another three specialist classes in his major. To celebrate, Dean brought Sam to his house for a college-themed movie night; Castiel begged off, having already promised to take a weekend away with Meg, so it was just the two of them watching Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds. Unfortunately, Dean wasn’t able to enjoy it.

Sam had been quiet all evening, wearing an expression Dean recognised as _I need to tell you something but I’m not sure you’ll like it_. His stomach clenched with images of his worst fears going through his mind- a relapse, losing Sam again. He barely paid attention to the movie, and was startled by Sam’s voice when the credits began to roll.

‘Hey Dean, um, I was wondering if it would be OK to reduce my hours at the Gas N Sip.’

‘Huh?’

‘The Gas N Sip. I want to reduce my hours.’

‘Oh. Uh, OK, why’s that?’ Sam shifted a bit uncomfortably.

‘Well, um, my art history professor owns this gallery, and he’s offered me an internship one day a week. But I’d need to cut my work hours to fit it in. By like 8 hours a week or something.’ Dean was confused. Sam had approached what seemed like a pretty innocuous subject with the guilt of a toddler caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

‘OK, so are you asking my permission or something? You’re an overgrown man, you can make decisions for yourself, Sammy.’

‘It’s just that… it’s an _unpaid_ internship.’ Dean continued to stare at him uncomprehendingly. ‘It’s a great opportunity, and I’ve done the budget with Crowley so I can still afford all my bills and stuff, but I won’t be able to save up.’

‘Hey, that’s no big deal. Once you’ve finished your degree you’ll be able to get a good job and start saving again. If you can afford everything else with the cut hours, you need to go for it!’ Dean said encouragingly. Sam’s cheeks went pink and he looked away.

‘But it’ll take me longer to pay you back.’ Now Dean was really confused. He couldn’t remember lending Sam any money, and as low as he had sunk in the darkest days of his addiction, he had never stolen from Dean.

‘Pay me back for what?’

‘For my treatment. I know the insurance didn’t cover everything, and that clinic and the stay with Crowley couldn’t have been cheap.’

Dean thought such things only happened in cartoons, but his jaw actually dropped. ‘Are you kidding me? Are you actually kidding me? Is Ashton Kutcher going to jump out at me right now?’

‘What? No, I’m serious.’

‘Sam, don’t you even dare think about that. What the hell? You’re my brother, it’s my job to take care of you. This is not a debt you owe me.’

‘Of course it is, Dean! You could’ve just left me to rot. Your life would’ve been a lot easier- I know for a fact that you didn’t get to buy a house sooner because of what you spent on me.’

‘You think a stupid house would have been more important to me than my brother? Fuck the house! I would sell it without a second thought if I needed to help you again.’

‘You won’t have to, Dean. I promise,’ Sam vowed in a soft but firm voice.

‘Shit, Sam, I mean any kind of help, like paying for school or something. I know you won’t need _that_ kind of help again.’ Dean was bowled backwards by the force of Sam’s bear hug.

‘Never. Never, Dean. I won’t let you down again.’

Dean patted Sam’s back until the latter let go and sat back again. ‘So tell me about this gallery. Do they have nudes?’

‘They did show the Mapplethorpe exhibit back in the day.’

‘Sounds hot. What is it?’

Sam rolled his eyes. ‘It was a really controversial photo exhibition that led to an obscenity trial in Cincinnati in the early nineties. It had lots of nudity and kinky stuff in it.’

Dean nodded and clapped Sam on the shoulder. ‘I approve. When do you start?’

‘Next month, if I get approval from my manager.’

‘Awesome. I’m sure it’ll be great.’

‘Yeah.’ He paused and looked at Dean again. ‘I still want to pay you back, Dean. I know you think I don’t owe you anything, but I do. I owe you my life, and I want to help make your life easier too.’

Dean sighed; Sam had on his serious bitchface, the one that indicated he wasn’t going to let this go. ‘You know what would be much more useful to me than money? Free labour. You’ve already given me some, helping with Baby, but this house still needs a hell of a lot of work. At the rate I’m going, the upstairs won’t be inhabitable until next summer. If you’re willing to help me out here unpaid, we can call it square.’

Sam grinned brightly. ‘Yeah, definitely. And when I can afford it, I want to help you pay contractors and stuff for what we can’t do ourselves.’

‘Yeah, OK. Deal.’ They shook on it, and then Sam insisted on another hug. ‘All right, all right, that’s enough chick flick moments for one night.’

‘Please, you love chick flicks. You can recite all of Johnny’s lines in Dirty Dancing.’

‘How many times do I have to explain this? Swayze movie. Swayze always gets a pass.’

**********

Ruby was cremated and her ashes buried at the county’s expense. The Winchesters, Castiel and Crowley were the only mourners at her funeral.

Multiple jurisdictions had been building a case against Azazel- whose real name turned out to be the much more mundane Alfred Jenkins- spanning over a decade, and not even Bela Talbot, star defence lawyer to scumbags all over the state, thought she could talk her way out of this one. In the end he made a plea deal to escape the death penalty; Kansas hadn’t carried out an execution since reinstatement in 1976, but he decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Three consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole made Sam and Dean feel a hell of a lot better about the future.

**********

_September_

‘But monsieur!' Sam cried in a terrible French accent. 'Zat is exactly why I stole ze paintings! I had no Monet, to buy Degas, to make ze Van Gogh!’

Castiel laughed heartily, but Dean just shook his head. ‘You guys are the biggest nerds I’ve ever seen. I mean, I knew Cas was a pretty big nerd, but I thought I taught you better than that, Sam. Art history puns? This is a new low.’

‘Whatever jerk. You’re just mad that you don’t get it,’ Sam teased with shove. Dean shoved back and stuck out his tongue.

‘You wish, bitch. Monet painted those fuzzy haystacks, Degas was into ballerinas, and Van Gogh chopped his ear off.’ Sam looked suitably impressed. ‘See, I know shit. It was just a really cheesy joke.’

‘I thought it was funny,’ Sam insisted.

‘You just liked it because _Sarah_ told it to you,’ Dean retorted.

‘Shut up,’ Sam replied with a blush, confirming Dean’s suspicions.

‘Ha! Knew it! She’s a hottie, isn’t she?’

Sam flopped his head back and sighed. ‘Completely out of my league.’

‘Aw, come on Samantha, some women like feminine-looking men.’ That earned him a smack from Castiel as well as Sam. ‘Hey! No ganging up on me!’

‘She sounds lovely, Sam,’ Castiel said, ignoring Dean. ‘Why is she out of your league?’

‘She’s the daughter of a professor and art gallery owner. She’s educated, she’s smart, she’s beautiful, she’s nice. What would she want with somebody like me?’

‘Well, aside from being somebody’s daughter, you’re all those things as well,' Castiel replied. 'From the way you’ve been speaking about her, it sounds like she likes you as a friend at least.’

‘Thanks, Cas. Yeah, I think we’re friends. But if she knew about my past, there’s no way she’d ever want to be more than that. She might not even want to be friends if she finds out.’

Castiel nodded in understanding. ‘You haven’t told her anything about it?’

‘No. Her dad knows, but I asked him not tell anybody.’

‘Look, Sammy, I’m not going to say that you should tell her, that’s up to you,' Dean chipped in. 'But whether it’s this girl or somebody else, you deserve to have a special person in your life, and whoever it ends up being, you’ll have to be honest with them.’

‘I know, Dean. I just… want to enjoy having her respect for a little longer.’

‘Hey man, if she can’t respect what you’ve gone through to get where you are now, she doesn’t deserve your friendship or anything else.’

‘Yeah. I’ll tell her when I’m ready.’ A tense silence descended on the group until Cas cleared his throat.

‘I know an art joke that you’ll get, Dean.’ Dean frowned menacingly. ‘Where does a cow hang its paintings? In a moooseum!’ Dean cackled.

‘Now _that_ was funny!’

**********

Dean and Amara’s ‘relationship’ such as it was consisted mainly of booty calls, and thus did not interrupt the usual dynamic between Cas and the Winchesters. Sam wanted to start including Sarah in their group outings, so she joined them at a karaoke night and got along well with everyone; she particularly won over Dean by singing ‘Ramble On’ with him. It was obvious to anyone watching that Sam had a major crush, but both Dean and Cas suspected that Sarah’s coy smiles were meaningful as well. After that night, they were determined to act as wingmen, and eventually Sam got up enough confidence to tell Sarah about his past. She took it surprisingly well, but still told Sam that she just wanted to be friends for now. His relief at not losing her completely made the romantic rejection much easier to bear.

Meanwhile, Castiel’s romance with Meg was beginning to sour again. After a long respite where she had barely made any disparaging mention of his friendship with Dean, it picked up again in the leadup to his birthday. The apparent trigger had been their usual duet at karaoke- this time ‘Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love)’ by Cole Porter. Castiel had ended up dropping her off back at her place afterwards, not wanting to deal with her crap after what had otherwise been a fun night. That of course led to snide comments about who he _had_ spent the night with, and he didn’t speak to her again until she apologised two days later.

Since it fell on a school night, Cas decided to have a quiet birthday at The Roadhouse; he’d suggested a double date, but Amara wasn’t able to make it, and in the end it was just him, Meg and Dean. The latter insisted on baking the birthday cake again, and made Ellen switch out the lights and bring it out with an excessive number of candles while everyone in the bar sang Happy Birthday. Once Cas had blown out the conflagration, Dean cut a piece and fed it to him wedding style, purposely shoving it more at his face than his mouth. Cas retaliated with a handful of icing into Dean’s hair, but Ellen stepped in before it became a full food fight. Meg just rolled her eyes and called them children while she downed another couple of shots on top of the cocktails she’d had with dinner. Dean was annoyed; Meg could be an aggressive drunk, and it wouldn’t be fair to Cas if she was nasty to him on his birthday. When the man of the hour went to the bathroom to wash his face, Dean opened his mouth to say something to her, but she spoke first.

‘Be honest with me, Winchester. What’s the deal with you and Cas?’ Meg slurred, pointing drunkenly at Dean.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Is something going on?’

‘He’s my best friend, if that’s what you mean.’

‘With benefits?’

‘What?’

‘Are. You. Fucking. My. Boyfriend?’ Dean looked at Meg like she’d grown a second head, then laughed.

‘That an invitation to a threesome, Meg?’ She looked like she was thinking about it, but before she could reply, Cas came back and the subject was dropped. Meg didn’t say much the rest of the evening, but when Dean put the two of them in a taxi, he felt Meg’s suspicious eyes continuing to burn into him long after it had driven away.

Later that night, Dean’s thoughts returned to what she had said in the bar. Yes, she’d been drunk, but she had also seemed deadly serious. There wasn’t any of the playfulness that was usually present when someone like Sam or Benny teased him about his ‘bromance’ or called Cas his boyfriend. She was genuinely asking if they were getting it on. Where had she gotten that idea? Sure, he and Cas were close; if he thought about it, these days he was probably closer to Cas than anybody else, maybe even Sam. Objectively, Dean knew that Cas was a good-looking guy; full lips, constant sex hair, those blue eyes, and of course the lean and surprisingly strong body- yeah, ok, Cas was hot. Fair enough. If Dean were going to go gay for anybody (besides Swazye or Dr. Sexy, obviously), he could do worse than Cas. But actually sleep with Cas? That was another story.

Dean was surprised to find stirrings of arousal when he asked himself that question, but he squashed it right down anxiously. Damn Meg for getting under his skin like this. He’d talk to Charlie tomorrow and see if this was just some stupid idea that psycho had come up with herself, or if other people thought the same thing. Charlie knew all about this kind of thing and could help him make sense of it. Knowing she’d probably still be awake gaming, he sent her a quick text asking her to lunch the next day, and she quickly replied back with a time and place. Feeling a bit better, he finally fell asleep.

**********

‘Charlie, can I ask you something?’          

‘Of course, what’s up?’ She held up a hand. ‘Besides your penis, of course.’

‘Does everyone think me and Cas are like a thing?’

‘I know people joke about your bromance.’

‘Yeah, but, they’re kidding right? People don’t actually think that we’re… you know. Do they?’

‘I don’t think so. Why?’

‘Because last night Meg asked me if Cas and I are doing it, and I think she was actually serious.’ Charlie’s jaw dropped.

‘Seriously?’

‘Yeah. She was drunk, but it looked like she really meant it. I mean, Cas and I are close and stuff, but do we really give off, I don’t know, kinky gay lovers vibes or something?’

‘I don’t think so Dean. It’s probably just that Meg feels threatened by you. You know if Cas had to choose between her and you, he’d choose you.’

‘I wouldn’t make him do that.’

‘You know that, but she probably doesn’t. Their relationship is such a soap opera I’m not surprised she’s jealous of your friendship. Plus, bromances are threatening to the heteronormative patriarchal boundaries of male friendship that say you can only form deep emotional bonds with your female partners. Women are allowed to have them with other women, but it’s seen as a negative thing for men. Well I say, fuck heteronormative patriarchal boundaries of male friendship. You and Cas being close like that doesn’t make you romantically interested in each other. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, obviously,’ she added hastily. ‘If you guys do dig each other, that’s awesome too. Because fuck the heteronormative patriarchy.’

‘Hear, hear,’ Dean agreed.

His conversation with Charlie made him feel better, and he decided not to mention anything to Castiel. No point making it weird just because Meg was a bitch. Everything was cool, totally normal, and if he booty-called Amara a bit more often for the next couple of weeks, and it happened to be right after he’d been hanging out with Castiel, well, that was just a coincidence, and there was nothing to read into that at all.

**********

By the time the Halloween party at The Roadhouse rolled around, things had gotten pretty strained between Castiel and Meg; aside from going to hire their costumes together the weekend before, they’d barely even seen each other in the last few weeks, and Castiel found it hard to care that much. Meg didn’t seem to be putting much effort in to keeping in touch if he didn’t call. If anything it was starting to look closer to Dean’s fuck buddy arrangement with Amara than a relationship, and Castiel was thinking about ending things. He just wasn’t looking forward to the usual drama that accompanied their breakups, so he kept putting it off.

Dean wasn’t feeling much better about things with Amara. He’d joked with Castiel that he wasn’t with her for her conversation, and he found that the more often he did talk to her, the truer that became. The last time they’d met up, they had watched some TV afterwards, and the show Intervention was on. He was interested in seeing this episode, since it featured heroin addiction, but Amara’s snarky comments about addicts had so incensed him that he’d switched it off and kicked her out. She apologised later, but he hadn’t been as keen on her since. Still, they had all made plans to go to the Halloween party together, and since Meg and Amara actually seemed to get along, it would probably be a decent night.

A couple of hours in, Castiel realised that hadn’t seen Meg for some time, but as had often been the case of late, he wasn’t particularly missing her either. It was nice to hang out and chat with Dean for a while without anyone else around. He only realised Meg had disappeared when Dean made a comment about their coordinated costumes- Castiel was an angel and a Meg was a devil. Dean and Amara hadn’t bothered to do anything like that. In Dean’s words, that would have meant talking to her for 5 minutes, and he wasn’t particularly interested in doing so. In fact, Dean looked pretty grumpy when the subject of Amara came up; she was dressed like a slashed-up hooker, which seemed pretty tasteless after what had happened to Ruby. Dean had gone for a cowboy outfit, which, according to Sam, he did practically every other year. Dean saw no need to justify his repetition- he liked cowboy stuff, end of story.

The bar was stiflingly hot, especially in the upper level where Dean and Castiel had been sitting, so they decided to go out to the small rear balcony for some fresh air. It only overlooked a loading dock where the kegs got delivered and a brick wall of the building opposite, so nobody tended to come out this way. Castiel was about to say something when Dean put a hand up to stop him. Noises were drifting up from the alley, and when they risked looking over the railing to see what was going on, they saw Meg and Amara tangled together in a very compromising position.

‘Hey dude,’ Dean whispered, ‘is it just me, or is my fuck buddy making out with your girlfriend?’

‘You seem to be correct.’

‘That’s pretty hot. Think they’re doing it for our benefit?’

‘Considering that they came to a secluded part of the building to do it, I’m guessing not.’

‘Think we should interrupt?’ Castiel considered it, and was surprised to find how little he cared about what Meg was doing. He should have felt jealous, or concerned that she was cheating, or maybe even turned on; anything at all. Instead, he watched her grope at Amara with complete detachment.

‘I don’t mind if you don’t. I was planning to break up with her anyway. For good this time.’ As he said it, he realised it was true.

‘Really? I figured you’ve been having some issues, but you didn’t tell me that.’

‘It’s a recent turn of events. She just doesn’t make me happy.’ Dean patted his shoulder.

‘Sorry man. She’s welcome to Amara too, who it turns out is a major bitch. She mocked Sam’s addiction right to my face.’

‘Sounds like they deserve each other.’ They clinked their beers together and returned to the party. The ladies didn’t reappear, instead sending text messages to their dates to say Amara wasn’t feeling well and Meg was taking her home. The boys just laughed and made their plans for their respective breakups. After another few beers Dean proposed the toast of bros before hoes and bromance before ho-mance, which sent Castiel into a fit of laughter that set Dean off as well; they agreed that it had probably been the most fun night out they’d had in months.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to Parks & Recreation for yet again blatantly stealing. As everyone knows, The Snakehole Lounge is in Pawnee, Indiana, not Lawrence, Kansas ;) 
> 
> I will be delaying posting chapter 10 by a week, as I have some rejigging to do in the last few chapters. All going well, it will go up on or around 12 March. Thanks for your patience!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakups, bachelor Thanksgiving, and the boys take a trip to the movies.

Dean had the easier time of calling things off with Amara- it had always been a casual arrangement and he just said he wasn’t interested anymore- but it turned out not to be that much harder with Meg. Castiel mentioned seeing her with Amara, and said he hoped she’d be happier. Meg had just snorted a bit and said, ‘Let’s face it, it’s been over for a while, hasn’t it?’ Castiel did not disagree, and that was that. When he and Dean met up for a beer and debrief, he was happy to report that there was no smashed crockery of any kind, and even the belongings exchange that they’d had to reclaim things they’d left at each other’s houses had gone smoothly- friendly even. ‘I hope you find what you’re looking for, Clarence,’ Meg had said, kissing him on the cheek. ‘A tip: it’s easier if you open your damn eyes.’ He hadn’t bothered to ask what she’d meant by that, and didn’t feel the need to mention it to Dean.

The conversation turned to other topics, and eventually the next holiday on the calendar. ‘What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year, Cas? Back to Wichita as usual?’

‘No, I’m on call that week for work, so I can’t be more than half an hour away in case of emergencies. I’ll probably just get a turkey Hot Pocket and do some reading.’

‘Dude, what the hell? No way! You’re having Thanksgiving with Sam and me. We’ll have a bachelor Thanksgiving!’

‘I wouldn’t want to get in the way of family obligations.’

‘Don’t be stupid, Cas, you _are_ family. Come on, it’ll be great. I’ll make the turkey, you bring pie.’

‘What kind of pie? Pumpkin, apple, pecan, cherry?’

‘Yes.’

‘Even you can’t eat that much pie, Dean.’

‘Just warnin’ you now, Cas, I won’t put up with that kind of defeatist attitude at my Thanksgiving feast.’

‘Noted.’

*********

Dean had his hand up a turkey when his phone rang. ‘Sam! Can you get that? Bit busy here.’

‘Good afternoon, Dean Winchester’s phone,’ Sam answered in his best imitation of a secretary.

‘Hello Sam.’

‘Oh, hey Cas. Dean has his hand shoved up a turkey’s backside just now, let me put you on speaker. Dean, it’s your boyfriend, I think he’s jealous of the turkey!’

‘Shut up, Sam, he’s not my boyfriend. Hey babe, what’s up?’

‘Besides your penis?’ Cas said at the same time that Dean said, ‘Besides my penis?’

‘Aww, babe, you complete me,’ Dean laughed.

‘Yeah, he’s not your boyfriend at _all_ ,’ Sam said sarcastically.

‘We’re hetero life-mates,’ Dean corrected. ‘Anyway, I hope you’re not calling to tell me that you’re not bringing pie.’

‘No, I value my life. If I weren’t bringing pie I wouldn’t tell you, I’d just run away to Bolivia and hide in the rainforest until one of us died.’

‘Reasonable.’

‘I’m just calling to let you know I’ll be a little late. I had to take a call at work, but now I’m heading home and just need to shower and grab the pies and ice cream.’

‘Ice cream too? What a dreamboat.’

‘See you soon, Dean, Sam.’

‘Bye dude!’

‘Later Cas!’ Sam hung up and set the phone back on the table. ‘Did he say pies plural?’

‘Hell yeah. Cas understands me and my carnal appetites.’

‘You should probably lock him down before some other girl snags him.’

‘I don’t need to, we’re bros before hoes all the way.’

By the time Cas let himself in a while later, arms piled high with four pies from Dean’s favourite bakery, the turkey was in the oven and Sam and Dean were almost coming to blows over Madden on the Xbox. ‘Pie,’ he said softly, and Dean’s ears perked up like a dog. He threw down his controller and clambered over Sam to help ease Cas’s burden. His hand was smacked away when he tried to open one of the boxes. ‘You’ll spoil your appetite.’

‘But the turkey won’t be finished for like two hours!’

‘I could make you some salad,’ Sam offered.

‘How dare you.’

‘You could stand to eat more vegetables, Dean.’

‘Whose side are you on, Cas? Come on! It’s freakin’ Thanksgiving.’ Eventually they came to a compromise, wherein Dean was allowed one small slice of pie, no ice cream, to keep his strength up until the rest of the food was finished, but he couldn’t have a slice of that same pie after dinner. He ended up picking cherry, and moaned ridiculously with every bite.

‘I’ll have what he’s having,’ Cas said dryly, and Dean made a happy noise at Cas making a film reference.

Finally the turkey and side dishes were ready, and Dean served them proudly. The food was delicious, and both Sam and Cas showed their appreciation with appropriately-timed yummy noises and compliments. Dean’s smile was smug, but he blushed a little as well. His reward for cooking so well was three generous slices of pie à la mode, and he forced himself to eat every bite, even though it meant changing into sweatpants afterwards because he needed an elasticated waist.

‘Oh my god, I’m gonna die,’ Dean groaned. ‘I’m actually going to explode.’

‘You shouldn’t have eaten so much pie.’

‘Shut up, Sam. If I’m going to die, death by pie is as good a way as any. Better actually. Gimme another slice, I wanna die by pie.’ He reached out weakly, but the inertia from his food baby kept him on the couch, and he gave up after a few pathetic grunts.

‘Just save the rest for breakfast, Dean.’

‘Cas, you are a fucking genius. High five.’ By now Cas knew how to give a proper high five, and Dean was about to complain about the sting in his hand when his phone rang. From the expression on his face, Sam and Cas assumed it was unexpected. ‘Hello?’ he said tentatively.

_‘Hi Dean, it’s Ben.’_ The confused expression blossomed into a warm smile.

‘Hey buddy, how are you? Happy Thanksgiving!’

_‘You too. Um, I’m good. School’s good, and I’m on the basketball team.’_

‘That’s great, Ben, I’m proud of you!’ Cas raised his eyebrows and Sam mouthed _Ben Braeden?_ Dean nodded.

_‘So, how are you?’_

‘I’m doin’ good buddy. Just having Thanksgiving with Sam and Cas this year. You wouldn’t believe how much pie I ate.’

_‘Yes I would,’_ Ben laughed, and Dean joined in. _‘Um, anyway, I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving.’_

_‘Ben, who are you talking to?’_ Dean heard Lisa say in the background.

_‘Nobody! Sorry Dean, gotta go.’_

‘OK bud, take care of your mom, OK?’

_‘I will. Bye!’_

Dean hung up and stared at the phone for a few seconds. ‘Holy crap. Ben called to wish me a happy Thanksgiving.’

‘Dean, that’s wonderful!’ Cas said.

‘Yeah, although he did behind Lisa’s back, so hopefully he won’t get in trouble. He must’ve-‘ He was interrupted by the phone ringing again. ‘Hello? Oh, hey Lis. Happy Thanksgiving.’

_‘Hi Dean. I’m sorry if Ben bothered you, he snuck my phone away when I wasn’t looking.’_

‘He didn’t bother me at all, it was great to talk to him. I miss him a lot.’ Lisa paused for so long that Dean began to think the call had fallen through.

_‘He misses you too.’_

‘Hey, he told me he was playing basketball now. If he ever wanted to go to a KU game, I’d be happy to take him.’

_‘I’m sure he’d love that. We’ll be in touch when we get back to Lawrence.’_

‘That would be great.’

_‘Great. Um, I feel like I should probably also tell you- I’m kind of seeing someone.’_

‘That’s great, Lis,’ he said warmly, genuinely feeling happy for her. ‘I hope he’s a good guy. Let me know if you want a background check,’ he joked.

_‘Will do, officer. Anyway, I should let you get back to your pie,’_ she teased back.

‘Pies. Cas brought four!’

_‘Oh, Cas is there?’_

‘Yeah, he’s on call this year, so he’s here with Sam and me.’

_‘Oh, I see. Well, tell them both Happy Thanksgiving from us.’_

‘Will do. Talk to you soon.’

_‘Bye Dean.’_

‘Huh,’ Dean said after hanging up for the second time. ‘That was unexpected.’

‘Everything OK?’ Sam asked.

‘Yeah, fine. Lisa said I can see Ben, and apparently she’s got a new guy.’

‘Sorry man, that must be weird.’

‘Nah, it’s all good Sammy. I mean, OK, it’s a little weird, but she deserves to be happy. That’ll make it easier to see Ben as well, makes it clear that there’s nothing else going on.’

Cas raised his coffee cup and clinked it against Sam’s and Dean’s mugs. ‘To fresh starts.’

**********

Dean’s renovations were progressing nicely; the entire downstairs had now been redecorated to his taste, and the wiring in the entire house had been replaced. That meant he could finally make a start on replacing the drywall and damaged flooring that had been ripped out in the late summer. With any luck, the upstairs might actually be inhabitable in the early spring. With no dating to distract them, Dean, Castiel and Sam had made good progress throughout November, but Sam’s circumstances changed the week after Thanksgiving.

They had invited Crowley to come out with them for a catch-up, and when Sam bounded in like a moose in heat, he was the first to guess the cause of Sam’s enthusiasm. ‘You got laid!’ he shouted instead of saying hello. Sam blushed crimson, but the smile didn’t leave his face.

‘Not exactly. But I did get to second base.’ Dean made a whooping noise and high-fived his brother. ‘Sarah and I were working late in the gallery, wrapping up some orders for delivery, and next thing I know, she’s kissing me! We totally made out on the office couch, and then I stopped and said I wanted to do this right, so I asked her if she’d go to dinner with me tomorrow.’

‘You smooth motherfucker!’ Dean cried. ‘I take it she said yes?’

‘Yep. I have a date tomorrow!’ Crowley insisted on celebratory shots, and by the time everyone had bought a round, they all needed to get taxis home.

**********

The pimpmobile finally died for good in the first week of December. Dean wanted to give it a Viking funeral, by which he meant set fire to it and push it into Clinton Lake, but Castiel opted to sell it to Ash for scrap. He didn’t want to make a hasty decision on what to buy next, so he decided not to replace it immediately and just take the bus when Dean couldn’t give him a ride somewhere. He was researching cars online one evening when Dean called.

‘Hey, Sam bought me tickets to some new western movie, it’s on limited release in Kansas City. Do you want to go with me?’

‘Sure, when is it?’

‘Saturday at 5. I can pick you up at 4, and we can get dinner afterwards.’

‘Sounds good. What’s the movie?’

‘Sam couldn’t remember the name. He saw something else at the same theatre with Sarah and said he thought it looked like something I’d like. The tickets will be at the box office for us.’

‘Great, I’ll see you then.’

The drive to Kansas City took about half an hour, and they managed to park relatively easily despite the influx of Christmas shoppers in town. 

‘I’ll pick up the tickets if you get the snacks,’ Dean offered. ‘Giant popcorn and Mountain Dew for me.’ Castiel nodded and headed to the concession stand. ‘Hi, picking up two tickets in the name of Dean Winchester, please,’ Dean asked the pierced and green-haired teenager at the ticket booth. She seemed particularly smiley when handing him the tickets, and he thought it was nice that some teenagers could actually be friendly.

He re-joined Castiel at the ticket check and handed his tickets to the more bored looking teenager there. ‘Screen two,’ he said blandly, and they followed his half-raised arm down the hallway. Dean always liked to sit in the middle, so they ended up halfway down a long row which filled up on both sides of them by the time the trailers finished.

It was only when the lights came down that Castiel realised he still hadn’t found out what movie they were coming to watch, so it wasn’t his fault when he spit out his drink in shock as the name appeared on the screen. ‘We’re watching Brokeback Mountain?’ he hissed at Dean.

‘Apparently,’ Dean whispered back.

‘Do you know what this movie is about?’

Dean shrugged. ‘Cowboys?’ Castiel suppressed a laugh; Dean clearly had no idea what he was about to watch, and Castiel thought it would be much more hilarious to leave it a surprise. There wasn’t another sound until Dean realised what Jack and Ennis were doing in the tent, and it was now his turn to choke on his drink. ‘What the-‘ he whispered in a stunned voice. Castiel shook with laughter beside him, bending over double in an attempt to keep it quiet. ‘Did you know about this?’ Dean demanded in a harsh whisper.

‘It has gotten some amount of attention, Dean. I don’t know how you didn’t hear about it. Now shh.’ Castiel composed himself, and Dean knew that getting up now would make him look like a total asshole, so he just sat back and watched the rest of the movie. It was pretty good actually, really sad at the end, and he even teared up a little bit. Castiel was kind of emotional too, but he didn’t let that stop him from teasing Dean outside the cinema. ‘So you really didn’t know what that movie was about?’

‘No, Sam just said it was about cowboys. I thought it was going to be a western. I’m never letting him buy me anything again.’ Dean’s cell phone rang. ‘Speak of the devil. Sam, you son of a bitch,’ he greeted him cheerfully, putting him on speaker as he and Castiel got into the Impala.

‘Hey Dean, did you and your boyfriend enjoy your movie date?’ Sam teased.

‘We don’t have labels Sam, you know Dean is a free spirit,’ Castiel joked, earning a back-handed smack across the chest from a laughing Dean.

‘Yeah, very funny Sam, gay cowboys. Joke’s on you, it was a pretty good movie, and Cas bought me popcorn.’

‘Ooh, does that mean you’ll let him get to second base tonight?’

‘You Winchesters and your obsession with second base,’ Castiel muttered.

‘Fuck off, Sam,’ Dean laughed as he hung up. He started cracking up, his shoulders shaking, and then Castiel realised that the laughter had turned into crying.

‘Dean, are you ok?’ Dean wiped his eyes and swallowed hard.

‘Yeah, man, I’m just… it’s nice that he’s back to himself enough to prank me like that, you know?’ Castiel put a hand on Dean’s shoulder and squeezed.

‘Yes, that is nice.’

Dean gave an exaggerated frown at Castiel’s hand. ‘Come on dude, no Brokeback moments,’ and that set them both off laughing again. ‘Right, we need to get some man points back. How about we pick up a pizza, some beers, maybe a bottle of Jack, and go back to my place for a Die Hard marathon?’

‘Tis the season, after all,’ Castiel agreed. Dean gave an approving nod and drove to the liquor store.

They were three shots, one and a half six packs and two thirds of Die Hard 2 down when they found themselves talking about Brokeback Mountain again. ‘It was just so sad, you know? That they couldn’t just be themselves back then,’ Dean lamented, slurring slightly.

‘It’s definitely better now, but there's still a ways to go,’ Castiel agreed.

‘Sam had sort of a gay thing when he was at Stanford. Kinda freaked me out a bit at first, but then I figured, he’s still my brother, so whatever. I think he half did it to piss off dad, but the joke was on him- Dad’s best buddy in the Marines was gay, got kicked out because of it and Dad hated that a good soldier was lost because of some stupid rule. Mostly though, I think it was just that Sam was trying any old thing at that point in his life.’

Castiel nodded. ‘College is a good time for experimentation.’

Dean snorted. ‘That sounds like the voice of experience.’

‘I knew that once I started working I’d have to be squeaky clean,’ Castiel explained with a shrug, ‘so I got it all out of my system during college. I was very experimentative.’

Dean nudged him. ‘OK then, spill.’

Castiel shrugged again. ‘I dated a couple of guys. Well, dated one and hooked up with another one.’ Dean raised an eyebrow. ‘Receiving oral sex from a man isn’t that different from receiving it from a woman.’

Dean groaned. ‘Dude, you’re such a weirdo. Why can’t you ever just call it a blow job like normal people?’

‘On the other hand,’ Castiel continued pointedly, ‘performing _fellatio_ is very different from performing _cunnilingus_.’

‘You sucked a guy off?’

‘Like I said, a couple. A real dick is also very different from a strap-on for anal sex.’

‘Dude, what the fuck?’ Dean laughed. ‘Why do you know that?’

‘I also had an experimentative girlfriend,’ Castiel smirked.

‘Lucky dog. So tell me, Dr. Ruth, did you prefer _fellatio_ or _cunnilingu_ s?’ Dean asked in a hoity-toity voice.

‘Hmm, it’s been so long since I performed fellatio that I don’t really remember what it’s like. Here, let me refresh my memory.’ He set down his beer and made a comically exaggerated move towards Dean’s crotch. Dean quickly downed his beer and tossed the bottle aside in time to lean down and tackle Castiel around the middle. They ended up wrestling around on the floor laughing hysterically, and then suddenly, without really knowing how it had happened, they were kissing. It only lasted a few seconds, and then Dean, who had ended up on top, pulled his head back.

‘Sorry,’ they said simultaneously.

‘What are you sorry for?’ Castiel asked.

‘I dunno, for kissing you I guess.’

‘Oh. I thought I kissed you.’

‘I’m not really sure,’ Dean chuckled.

‘Well, maybe there’s nothing to apologise for then,’ Castiel suggested, and Dean nodded. ‘Maybe we should sit up.’ Dean pushed back and sat back against the couch, and Castiel sat next to him. ‘So much for no Brokeback moments,’ he grinned.

Dean bumped their shoulders together. ‘I guess they’re not so bad.’ They were silent for a few minutes, the only sound being Dean reaching to the coffee table to open and drink another beer. ‘You know you’re my best friend.’

‘And vice versa.’

‘Sometimes I screw shit up.’

‘You do.’ Dean elbowed him. ‘What? You’re the one who admitted to it.’

‘I don’t want to screw _this_ up.’

‘I’m not going to stop being your friend because we had a drunk kiss.’

‘I know.’

‘So what are you worried about?’

Dean blushed and looked away. ‘That I kinda want to do it again.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Well, I won’t stop being your friend if we make out either.’ Dean turned his head so quickly Castiel was worried he’d get whiplash. ‘Hey, I can imagine a lot worse things than getting off with my best friend.’

‘I haven’t… uh… I didn’t go to college,’ Dean said meaningfully, sending Castiel into a fit of giggles.

‘Don’t worry Dean, I didn’t even bring the strap-on tonight.’ That lightened the mood substantially, and they were both still laughing when Castiel took a loose grip of the collar of Dean’s shirt and leaned in to kiss him. It was slow and tentative at first. Castiel had done this before, but he didn’t want to spook Dean by going in too fiercely. He needn’t have worried; in short order it was Dean who was softening into an open mouth and introducing his tongue between Castiel’s lips. It became hot and heavy very quickly after that, and Dean was back on top of Castiel, grinding their hips together in the way of horny teenagers in their parents’ basements.

‘Oh fuck, Cas, this is going to be embarrassing,’ Dean gasped as Cas sucked on his earlobe. In response, Cas rolled them over so he was on top and worked swiftly to open Dean’s jeans.

‘Guess I’d better hurry up then,’ he said just before taking the head of Dean’s dick into his mouth. He pulled tightly at the base to prevent Dean coming right away, and worked up and down the head and top of the shaft with his lips and tongue.

‘Holy shit!’ Dean cried out, his hips rising off the floor. ‘Jesus, Cas, fuck!’ It had been quite a few years since Castiel had last had a dick in his mouth, but he apparently hadn’t forgotten what to do with it. He ignored Dean’s warning and swallowed as much as he could when Dean moaned through his orgasm into Castiel’s mouth. ‘Oh my god, Cas. That was amazing,’ Dean panted as Cas finished licking him clean.

‘Thanks. I’m a bit out of practice, but I enjoyed it as much as I remembered doing.’ He flopped on his back next to Dean, who noticed the bulge in his jeans. With a tentative hand, Dean reached over and palmed at it, eliciting a moan from its owner.

‘Can I jerk you off?’ Dean asked shyly. Castiel nodded vigorously and opened his jeans, pulling them and his boxers down just enough for his erection to spring free, then pushed up his t-shirt to bare his stomach. Dean reached out and caressed his fingers down the length, causing Castiel to shiver with pleasure. Propping himself up on his left elbow, Dean wrapped his right hand around Castiel’s dick and began to stroke, slowly at first and then building speed. Castiel was already pretty worked up from the blow job, so it didn’t take long for him to come all over Dean’s hand and his own stomach. His moans were more subtle than Dean’s, but the way he smiled showed Dean that he’d enjoyed it just as much.

‘Well, that was unexpected,’ Castiel said as he got his breath back. Dean laughed.

‘Understatement of the year. Was that OK for you?’

‘It was great. You’re good at that,’ Castiel replied as he took a handful of paper towels from Dean to clean himself up.

‘Yeah, well, if there’s one thing I know how to do it’s jerk off,’ Dean smirked. Castiel tossed the paper towels in the nearest trash can and pulled his jeans up again. ‘Hey, can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

‘Why didn’t you ever tell me about the guy thing before?’

Castiel shrugged. ‘It never really came up. I can’t think of any conversations we’ve had where it would have been appropriate to say, “By the way, I have bisexual tendencies and screwed guys in college,” you know?’

‘Heh, yeah I guess so. Maybe after we met Crowley?’

‘I didn’t know you as well yet back then, and you seemed a bit rattled by him. It didn’t seem relevant at the time, I wasn’t expecting to be with a man again. But if I had met one I wanted to date, I would have told you.’

‘OK, good. I just wanted to check that it wasn’t because you didn’t trust me. I’d think you’re awesome no matter what.’ Castiel smiled, his cheeks turning pink.

‘Thanks Dean, I appreciate it.’ Dean stretched and yawned.

‘Anytime. So what’s the plan?’

Castiel looked at his watch and sighed. ‘Well, it’s nearly 2am, so I’ve missed the last bus home and you’re too drunk to drive, so I guess I’ll have to get a cab.’

‘Dude, just crash here, I can drive you home in the morning.’

‘Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.’

‘You wouldn’t be imposing you dumb cocksucker,’ Dean insisted with a cheeky grin.

‘If you’re sure, you stupid jerk-off.’ This was obviously hysterically funny, so it was another couple of minutes before their laughter died down again. They laid there for a while, just basking in the afterglow until Dean started getting uncomfortable from the hardness of the floor. He got somewhat unsteadily to his feet and held out a hand for Castiel. He used more pull than was necessary given Castiel’s light weight, and they ended up much closer than expected. Castiel licked his lips and asked, ‘Should I take the couch then?’

Dean shook his head and released Castiel’s hand so he could put his arm around Castiel’s waist instead. ‘You can sleep in my bed, if you want. With me, I mean.’ Dean was trembling and blushing, but his voice was steady.

‘OK.’ Reaching his hand to the back of Dean’s neck, Castiel leaned in for another kiss, gentle but promising, and Dean was all over it. Castiel was starting to suspect that Dean didn’t actually know how to draw things out and build a slow burn, and he found himself very much hoping that he’d have the opportunity to show him how it was done.

‘Fucking hell, Cas,’ Dean cursed as he pulled back for breath. ‘I’ve never looked at a dude that way in my life, and now it’s like I’m trying to eat your face. Have you got some kind of magic pheromones or something?’

‘I bet you say that to all the boys who suck you off,’ Cas teased.

‘So far, yeah,’ Dean agreed as he pulled Cas into another kiss. ‘Fuck, how the hell am I hard again?’ Cas rolled his hip against Dean’s to show him that he wasn’t alone in that. Dean moaned and began walking Cas backward towards the bedroom, removing his plaid shirt and kicking off his shoes along the way. When they’d finally managed to find their way into the room and switched on the light, they began fumbling with the rest of their clothes. Cas pushed Dean down onto the bed and laid on top of him, kissing at his neck and along the top of his shoulder while rutting against his thigh.

‘Have you got any lube or lotion?’ he asked breathlessly. Dean tensed a bit. ‘Don’t worry Dean, not for _that_. It’ll make the rubbing nicer.’ Dean reached into the nightstand and pulled out some of the tingly lube Lisa had gotten for them to use when they’d been together. The thought made him chuckle. ‘Something funny, Officer Winchester?’ Castiel asked in his best serious voice.

‘I was just thinking about Lisa.’

Castiel frowned. ‘Gee, thanks.’

Dean quickly shook his head and handed Castiel the lube. ‘She bought this. Once we had an argument about how much time I spent with you. I don't know if you remember, there was that time she got an unexpected day off work and surprised me with some sexy underwear, but I had plans with you and didn’t want to cancel. She was so pissed, she said, “If I walk out that door, you’re only getting lucky tonight if you fuck Cas!” Somehow I don’t think this would surprise her very much.’

‘Meg had a lot to say on the subject too,’ Castiel joked. ‘Mostly just calling you my boyfriend, but far too many times she was a bit more, shall we say, crude.’

‘She actually asked me if we were fucking.’ Dean gasped as Castiel finally filled his palm with lube and rubbed it along both of their cocks.

‘What did you say?’ Castiel asked with a slight hitch in his breath.

‘I asked her if she was inviting me for a threesome. I think she was actually considering it.’ Castiel grinned, remembering his own thoughts on the subject, but the conversation died out as they started rutting against each other in earnest. ‘Fuck, Cas, I haven’t come like this since I was about 15,’ Dean mumbled. Castiel shut him up with a long, deep kiss, forcing the pace to stay slow despite Dean’s attempts to speed things up. Occasionally Castiel would put a hand between them, rubbing his palm against them both, or stroking at the head of Dean’s dick to tease him, but mostly he just let the friction of their bodies carry them through. After what Dean was quite sure had been several months, he finally felt the turning point, and he found himself coming so hard that some of it hit his chin. Castiel grabbed his own cock and jerked furiously to follow less than a minute later. He collapsed down onto Dean’s chest, breathing heavily and not yet caring about the sticky mess between them.

Eventually they started to feel sleepy, and realised that if they didn’t clean up now, the morning would be unpleasant. Castiel rolled off and they went into the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed. Dean handed Castiel his toothbrush, and the latter wrinkled his nose at it.

‘Sharing a toothbrush? Isn’t that kind of unhygienic?’

Dean rolled his eyes. ‘Dude, you had my dick in your mouth like half an hour ago, and you’re worried about the toothbrush?’ It was a fair point, and Castiel brushed his teeth without further comment. They climbed back into the bed afterwards, and Dean pulled Castiel into a spooning position, planting soft kisses on the back of his neck.

‘You seem remarkably calm about this, Dean,’ Castiel said as he stroked Dean’s arm. ‘A few hours ago you were panicking about gay cowboys in a movie, and now we’re lying naked in your bed after making each other come twice.’

‘I wasn’t panicking about the gay cowboys, it was just a surprise,’ Dean protested.

‘OK, but still, I sort of expected you to-‘

‘Have a big gay freak out?’

‘I prefer the term “sexual identity crisis” actually.’

‘Of course you do, Dictionary Boy. I don’t know, man. I kind of thought I would too. Maybe I still will. But right now I’m nicely buzzed, I just had two fucking amazing orgasms, and the person I care most about in the world who isn’t related to me, and who saved my fucking life, is in my bed. It’s hard not to just feel good about it all.’ Castiel smiled and squeezed Dean’s forearm.

‘I know what you mean,’ he murmured. He turned his head to give Dean a goodnight kiss, and they snuggled in for a night of great sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The whole 'He's not my boyfriend. Hey babe,' line is directly stolen from the excellent TV show Spaced. If you haven't watched it, you really should.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the night before.

Cas woke up first, and after using the bathroom and washing his face, he pulled on a pair of Dean’s pyjama bottoms and went into the kitchen to make coffee. He stopped short when he realised somebody was already in there.

‘Oh, hey Cas!’ said the intruder cheerfully, sipping on the coffee he’d clearly just made in Dean’s machine.

‘Hi Sam, how are you?’

‘Great! What are you doing here?’

‘Uh, I missed the last bus, so Dean let me crash here last night.’

Sam looked with confusion at the obviously un-slept-on couch and asked, ‘Where?’ Cas blushed, uncertain of what to say when Dean came out of the bedroom.

‘You say something Cas? Oh, uh, hey Sam.’ Dean was also shirtless, and on him the blush appeared from his forehead to his chest. Sam’s eyes went wide and he almost dropped his mug.

‘Holy shit! I knew it! Sarah owes me twenty bucks.’

‘You’ve been betting on us hooking up?’ Dean asked testily.

‘Not exactly,’ Sam backpedalled. ‘Sarah thought you guys had a bromance with homoerotic subtext, but I thought there was actual romance. And now that you’ve just totally admitted to hooking up, I’m definitely getting that money.’

‘Just for that, I should make out with Cas in front of you and scar you for life.’ Sam shut his eyes tightly and put his hands over his ears in an exaggerated ‘see no evil, hear no evil’ pose.

‘Lalalalala, can’t hear you!’ Cas put a comforting hand to Sam’s elbow to get his attention.

‘Don’t worry Sam, we won’t make out in front of you.’ Sam sighed with relief, and looked like he might be about to thank Cas, who then continued, ‘I’ll wait until you’re gone before I go down on him _again_ ,’ he said, emphasising the last word. Dean howled with laughter, and Sam looked a bit green.

‘You know what Dean, I think I’ll take a rain check on that lunch you were meant to take me out for today. I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat, like, ever again.’

Dean’s face fell. ‘Oh man, Sammy, I’m sorry, I completely forgot.’

Sam waved him off. ‘No worries dude, you were clearly distracted in a good way. I’ll catch you another day, and hey, I’ll even pay with the twenty bucks I’m about to get from Sarah.’

‘Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Sam.’

Sam nodded and headed for the door. ‘Oh, and I’m really happy for you guys. Just, please don’t ever talk about sex to me ever again. Bye!’ He was gone before Dean could find anything to throw at him.

‘I’m sorry I made you forget about Sam,’ Cas said as he placed his hand in the small of Dean’s back.

Dean grabbed Cas’s other hand and pulled him into a hug. ‘He seemed ok, and I wouldn’t take last night back for anything.’

Cas relaxed into Dean’s arms, only then becoming aware of how tense he had been waiting for Dean’s sober reaction to what had happened. ‘So no big gay freak-out this morning?’

‘Nope. But I could go for another Brokeback moment.’ Cas curled his fingers around the back of Dean’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. Dean was as enthusiastic this morning as he had been last night, and they were both feeling breathless by the time Dean pulled back. ‘You’re really fucking good at that.’

‘I’m particularly motivated right now,’ he explained as he kissed his way along Dean’s neck.

‘Are you?’

‘Mm hmm.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘Because I’m trying to seduce you.’

‘It’s working.’ Dean slid both hands down the back of Cas’s borrowed pyjamas, gripping his ass firmly and pressing their now obvious erections together.

‘Good to know,’ Cas gasped. ‘Are you sufficiently seduced for me to ask you to properly fuck me?’

Dean froze, then leaned back to look Cas in the eye. ‘Do you mean what I think you mean?’

‘Yes.’ Dean swallowed hard, trembling hands wandering up and down Cas’s back. ‘Big gay freak-out?’ Cas asked gently.

Dean shook his head. ‘Big gay that’s so hot I think I’m going to come in my pants.’

Cas laughed and started walking Dean back towards the bedroom. ‘Please don’t, I have better places for you to come.’ They stripped off along the way, and were naked by the time they reached the bed.

‘I’m gonna need you to tell me what to do here, Cas. I’ve never done it this way.’

Cas grabbed the lube from the nightstand and handed it to Dean.  ‘If you want me to talk dirty, you just have to ask,’ Cas teased. ‘Lube up your finger and work it in gently.’ Cas exhaled as Dean followed his instructions, and the finger slipped in easily. ‘You can move it in and out slowly. If you hook it forward you can find my- ah! Found it,’ he moaned. His cock twitched as it got harder under Dean’s probing.

‘Dude, it’s so tight, are you sure I can get in there?’ Dean asked sceptically, still stroking away at the spot he had discovered.

‘Mmm, yes, mm hmm, you can. Just put some more lube and add the next finger.’ Cas moaned at the stretch when Dean followed his instructions. ‘Move them around and stretch them apart like scissors, slowly.’

‘Fuck, Cas, the look on your face,’ Dean huffed, ‘so hot.’

‘OK, third one,’ Cas gasped. ‘And then you can go a bit faster and build up to spreading them out.’ Cas’s moans as Dean did this were driving Dean crazy with want, and he was getting increasingly excited for what was to come. After a few more minutes of this, Cas finally nodded. ‘I’m ready, Dean. I’m ready.’ Dean carefully removed his hand and wiped it on a tissue, then tore open a condom and rolled it on. Giving it a generous coating of lube, he lined up to Cas’s entrance. ‘Slowly now.’ Dean began to push in, the hole obviously much looser now but still much more resistance than he was used to. After what felt like eternity, the head was all the way in, and he stopped to give Cas a chance to adjust.

‘Oh my god, this feels amazing, Cas,’ he panted.

‘You’re telling me,’ Cas agreed. ‘Go ahead and move, keep it slow for now.’ Dean obeyed, and if he’d thought it felt good before, he could barely think of a word for the delicious sensations he was now experiencing. When he was finally all the way in, he leaned down and gave Cas a hungry kiss.

‘I’m really glad you seduced me,’ he admitted as he slowly withdrew and went back in. ‘I’m not sure I would have had the guts to ask for this.’

‘My pleasure.’

‘I’m not hurting you, am I?’

Cas shook his head vigorously. ‘Pain is definitely not what I’m feeling right now. Oh, fuck yes, there!’ he shouted as a slight change in angle from Dean had again reached the magical spot. ‘Harder, Dean, faster.’ Dean began to pick up the pace, but still held back from the sort of frantic fucking he was naturally inclined towards. ‘More!’ Cas begged. ‘I can take it, Dean, fuck me!’

‘You’re the boss.’ Dean began pounding harder and harder into Cas, whose shouts got louder and filthier the longer it went on. When Dean felt himself getting close, he wrapped his fingers around Cas’s cock and jerked him quickly. He was already so stimulated that it only took a few strokes, and Dean didn’t take long after that. ‘Jesus fucking fuck, Cas,’ he gasped, unable to suck the air into his lungs quickly enough for his liking. ‘So fucking good.’

‘It was,’ Cas agreed. ‘You are cordially invited to do that any time.’

‘Careful, I might end up just living in your ass,’ Dean joked, pulling out and removing the condom.

‘Yes, I would clearly not enjoy that,’ Cas replied sarcastically as he grabbed some tissues and handed a couple to Dean.

‘How about a shower? I’m still feeling a bit sticky from last night, never mind this morning.’

‘Sounds good. Do you want to go first?’ Dean waggled his eyebrows, and Cas understood perfectly. ‘Good idea, saves water.’

They opted to go back to bed after the shower, deciding they couldn’t be bothered with clothes or moving much for a while yet. They lay on their sides facing each other, smiles a bit shyer now that the heated need had been satisfied.

‘So…’ Cas began. ‘Maybe we should talk now?’

‘You’re determined to have a chick flick moment, aren’t you?’ Dean whined, but he smiled to show that he didn’t really mind.

‘I am. You’re too important to me for us to leave this vague. I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page.’

‘OK, but since you brought it up, you have to talk about feelings first.’

‘That’s fair. OK, well, I never really thought of you that way until few months ago. Since then, I _might_ have had the odd stray thought about fooling around with you, after Meg made such a fuss about it.’

‘You thought about me? Like that?’ Dean said with a surprisingly shy smile.

‘Several times.’

‘Did it make you… you know?’ He made a crude gesture with his hand and waggled his eyebrows.

Cas rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, I jerked off thinking about you, OK?’

‘That’s hot,’ Dean admitted, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

‘ _Anyway_. I never considered _this_ to be a possibility. But now that it’s happened I rather find myself not wanting to be anywhere else.’

‘I sure as hell feel the same about that last bit.’ Cas smiled and kissed Dean’s hand. ‘I hadn’t ever thought about guys that way at all, and I thought it was just kinda funny when people thought we were a couple. It was only when Meg asked me in all seriousness if we were fucking that I thought maybe people were actually seeing something I wasn’t. I talked to Charlie about it, actually.’

‘What did she have to say?’

‘She said “fuck heteronormative patriarchal boundaries of male friendship”. Women can have close emotional bonds with other women without them being assumed to be gay, so why can’t men? And that if we did have romantic feelings towards each other, that was fine too, because fuck the heteronormative patriarchy.’ Cas laughed. ‘Anyway, I took that and ran with it, and tried not to think about it too much, until you started talking about sucking guys off.’

‘I had no idea of that story being taken in such a way.’

‘Neither did I, man. All I know is, one minute we’re talking about being experimentative in college and the next minute I’m hard as a fucking rock and just want to jump you.’

‘What do you think was the tipping point?’

Dean took Cas’s hands and gave him a gooey-eyed look. ‘You had me at fellatio.’ They both cracked up at this, but Cas was determined to finish the conversation.

‘So is it just some kind of experimental sex thing?’ he asked tentatively.

‘Pretty sure it’s not just a sex thing at all, Cas. I feel- I don’t know, content, I guess. That kind of happiness of when things just fall into place, you know?’

Cas nodded, touching Dean’s cheek with his fingertips. ‘Yes, I really do.’

Dean pulled him in for another kiss, and he didn’t resist. ‘So… we tryin’ this then?’ Dean asked once he’d kissed Cas breathless.

‘I’d like to.’

‘Me too.’ Dean chuckled. ‘It’ll be nice to go out with someone who won’t complain about how much time I spend with my buddy Cas.’

‘Indeed,’ Cas agreed with a smile. ‘And it will be nice to get as much action from my friend Dean as I’ve been accused of getting.’

Dean rolled their bodies so he was on top of Cas again and began kissing his way down. ‘Speaking of which…’ Cas closed his eyes and sighed as Dean’s mouth left hot, wet patches along his chest and stomach, but his eyelids flew open in surprise when Dean pressed a kiss to the tip of his cock. ‘Sorry if I’m not very good at this,’ Dean said just before licking Cas’s shaft from bottom to top.

‘You don’t have to,’ Cas gasped as Dean swirled his tongue around the head.

‘Yeah. Really fuckin’ want to though.’ Dean’s instincts were good even if his execution wasn’t perfect, and soon Cas was moaning in warning. Dean finished him with his hand, uncertain about the whole swallowing thing, but Cas didn’t seem to mind. He even returned the favour, leaving Dean legless and moaning. ‘You’ve gotta teach me how to do that to you sometime,’ he panted as Cas wiped his mouth.

‘I'm sure that can be arranged,’ Cas assented, pulling him into a spooning position.

‘Cas, I want you to promise me something,’ Dean said sometime later, stroking the arm that was wrapped around his chest.

‘I’ll do my best.’

‘I need to know that no matter what happens with this, you’ll still be my friend. I want this, but you’re one of the most important people in my life. I can’t lose you.’

Cas squeezed him. ‘Never. We’re friends first, no matter what.’ He felt Dean’s sigh of relief.

‘Thanks Cas. Knew I could count on you. I’ve always been able to count on you.’

They dozed again for a little while, limbs entangled, trading soft kisses whenever they woke up, but eventually Cas noticed the time and groaned. He tried to extricate himself, but Dean held him tightly.

‘Dean, I have to get up. I need to go home.’

‘No.’

‘What do you mean no?’

‘Stay here. It’s nice here.’

‘It’s very nice here. But I need to do laundry and we both have work tomorrow.’

‘I have a washing machine.’

Cas laughed. ‘Yes you do, but unless you also have a way of teleporting my clothes into it, I still need to go home.’ Dean pulled him closer still, trying to distract him with hot open-mouthed kisses, but he was insistent. ‘Come on, Dean, I really do need to get up.’ Dean’s face went from comically grumpy to genuinely disappointed, and Cas cupped his jaw with one hand. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘This is a nice bubble. I don’t want the real world getting in the way yet.’

‘I can understand that. Hey, why don’t you pack a bag and come over with me? We can extend the bubble a bit longer and you can drive us both to work tomorrow.’

‘Or we could call in sick and stay here for a week.’

‘You’re adorable.’

‘Damn right.’

‘But no. Come on, come home with me.’ Cas rolled on top of Dean and began kissing his way down his neck and chest. ‘What can I do to convince you?’

‘Nothing personal, Cas, but I’m pretty sure my poor dick is gonna be out of commission for at least another couple of hours.’

‘That’s a very defeatist attitude, Winchester,’ Cas admonished before taking a nipple between his teeth. Dean arched his back with a hiss.

‘Fuck! OK, let’s go to your place.’

‘That was easy.’

‘Well, I realised that in a couple of hours we can do it again, but get _your_ sheets dirty this time.’

‘Excellent decision. I’ll make it worth your while.’

He did.

**********

Monday felt odd. It was such a regular occurrence that nobody seemed to notice that Dean and Cas arrived together. They went about their work as usual, had lunch with Benny and Charlie as usual, and tried to act as normal as possible. Nobody seemed to notice that anything was different, but both Dean and Cas felt ready to burst every time they got near each other. When they headed out for the day, their hands found each other on the seat as soon as they had pulled away from the station. Dean drove to Cas’s apartment first and followed him inside, where he immediately pushed Cas against the wall and kissed him with desperate fervour.

‘God, Cas, I’ve been staring at your mouth all day. I’m pissed off at myself for having wasted two years not kissing it,’ Dean admitted as he ripped off his jacket and tie and began fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. Once that joined the jacket halfway across the room, he turned his attention to Cas’s clothes.

‘ _My_ mouth? If you look up cock-sucking lips in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure your picture is there.’ Cas grabbing his ass and pulling him forward turned Dean’s laugh into a moan.

‘We should’ve gone to my place first,’ Dean lamented as he licked Cas’s neck and pulled his shirt out of his trousers. ‘I don’t have a change of clothes here.’

‘Do you have any clean sheets?’ Cas gasped as Dean’s hands touched bare skin.

‘Yeah, I’ve got a spare set,’ he replied before claiming Cas’s mouth again. After succumbing briefly, Cas pushed him away with strong hands on Dean’s bare chest.

‘Then let me pack a bag and we’ll stay at your place tonight.’ Dean grabbed Cas’s wrists and pinned them against the wall.

‘Can I put my lips to good use first?’

‘Fuck yes.’ Cas tried to push away from the wall to lead them to the bedroom, but Dean held him fast.

‘Right here,’ he said, releasing Castiel’s hands and undoing his trousers as quickly as possible. ‘Right up against this wall.’ Castiel’s trousers dropped to the floor, and so did Dean, yanking the waistband of Castiel’s boxers with him. He wasted no time getting his mouth around Castiel’s cock, taking as much as he could and stroking the rest. He was so ruthless in his attentions that Castiel barely had time to warn him before shooting into Dean’s mouth. Dean did his best not to gag, but he could only swallow some of it before come started dripping down his chin and onto his chest.

‘Good thinking,’ Cas remarked breathlessly. ‘Your shirt would have been ruined.’

‘I’m a forward planner,’ Dean agreed as he stood up. Cas surprised him by licking at the trails of come around his mouth. ‘Fuck, that’s so hot Cas.’

‘Can I return the favour?’ Dean’s reply was to unbuckle his belt and open his trousers as quickly as he could. Cas took him even deeper this time, not quite managing a full deep throat, but certainly much further than Dean had been able to manage. It only took a couple of minutes for Cas to finish him off.

They cleaned up and Cas packed an overnight bag; Dean stopped by a drive-thru to pick up dinner on the way, and later fucked Cas into the mattress well into the night.

The week progressed in much the same way, with a break for laundry on Wednesday when they ran out of clean sheets. Sam came over that night to gush about his most recent adventures with Sarah, and tried very hard not to notice that Cas was sitting down a bit more gingerly than usual.

By the end of the week, Dean was dying to talk about what was going on with someone. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited about being with a new partner, if ever, and he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. That was one part of it. The other part was trying to work out exactly what he was feeling about his sexuality. He had been pretty surprised by his body’s enthusiastic response to being with Cas; he joked about Swayze and Dr. Sexy, but he’d never felt genuine arousal for them the way he had since Cas had first touched him. He looked around at other guys, expecting to feel some attraction to them now, but there was nothing. It was just Cas that sent him fantasising about all the ways he could make him come; just Cas who made the butterflies take up permanent residency in his stomach. At one point he put on some gay porn, and nothing happened until he closed his eyes and pictured himself and Cas doing whatever was on the video, at which point, instant boner.

It was a very confusing situation, but he knew exactly who to talk to about it. Taking advantage of Cas having a lunch meeting with Jody and the other victim support counsellors on Friday, he took Charlie out to Hamburger Heaven.

‘So what’s up, Handmaiden? Besides your penis.’

‘Why do you think something’s up besides my penis? Can’t I just take my favourite geek out for lunch?’ Charlie narrowed her eyes.

‘Are you shitting me, Winchester? You’re practically bursting out of your skin to tell me something. Just get on with it.’

‘Can’t get anything past you, Charlie.’

‘Nope! Out with it.’

‘Um. Cas and me. We’re together now.’ Charlie’s jaw dropped.

‘Holy shit! OK, of all the things you might have had to tell me, I would not have guessed that one. So, you’re bi?’

‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’

‘Aw, Dean, am I the first person you’re coming out to besides Cas?’

‘Well, Sam saw us the morning after, so he’s the first one who knew, but it’s not really a coming out. I… well, I don’t actually think I’m bi.’

‘Oh, I thought you really liked women.’

‘I did! I do! What I mean is that I’m still not actually into dudes.’ Charlie stared at him.

‘Am I having a stroke? Didn’t you say that you and Cas are together?’

‘Yes.’

‘Oh, so just romantically, not in a sexual way?’

‘Hell no, tons of sexy stuff going on. I’m chafed as hell and considering the merits of wipe-down sheets.’

‘OK, ew. So what’s the deal?’

‘Well, things just sort of happened with Cas, and it just all felt great, so I thought admitting my feelings for him would somehow unlock this whole side of myself that I’d been suppressing or something. Like I’d look around and realise, oh yeah I totally want to do guys. But I don’t. Not guys in general. I’m still completely not interested. I even watched some gay porn, and it only felt interesting when I pictured it was me and Cas doing it.’ Charlie scrunched her nose.

‘Gross. OK, so, it’s just Cas you find sexually and romantically appealing?’ Dean nodded vigorously.

‘It’s just Cas. And I’m not talking like, oh I’ll deal with the fact that he’s a guy. I’m totally into it. I mean really really into it. But it’s like I’m into it because I’m into _him_ , he’s Cas, and the fact that he’s a guy is more just irrelevant than appealing or not appealing. Does that make any sense?’

‘Ahhh, ok, I get it. Yeah, that can be a thing. I know a couple from school, actually, one girl was head cheerleader, going out with the quarterback, full deal, and at our ten year reunion she turned up with the president of the year book club on her arm. They’d become friends in college and fell in love, even though the cheerleader had never been into girls before. She said they were soulmates and belonged together no matter what their genders would have been. It was suuuuper romantic.’ She looked a bit starry-eyed, and Dean had to smile as well.

‘I think that’s us, Charlie. It’s just been… easy to be with him. I already wanted to spend loads of time with him, and missed him when he wasn’t around, that kind of thing. If he were a chick, I’d have gone for it a long time ago. But once we actually hooked up, I just found that everything about him turns me on, I just hadn’t really let myself think about it before.’ Charlie stroked her chin thoughtfully.

‘Heteroflexible?’

‘Bless you.’

‘No, dumbass. That might be what you are- heteroflexible. It means you’re only mostly straight. There a big difference between mostly straight and all straight.’

‘Thanks Miracle Max, but could you be more specific?’

‘It means you can occasionally feel and want to act on same sex attraction. In your case, for Cas.’

‘Yeah, maybe.’

‘How about bi-curious?’

‘I’d say the curiosity part has been pretty well satisfied, Charles,’ he said with a leer. ‘But again, only with Cas, so the bi part I’m still not really getting.’

'Well, you could just go with a generic queer.’

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Whoa, isn’t that offensive or something?’

‘It’s a reclaimed slur. Lots of people like it because it gets across that you’re not completely straight, but without a specific label. It allows for fluidity.’

‘OK, I don’t think I’d be comfortable using it though.’

Charlie thought for a moment, and put a comforting hand over Dean’s. ‘Look Dean, just because there isn’t a ready term for your feelings doesn’t mean they’re any less valid. You obviously really care about Cas and want to be with him, and that’s enough. And maybe it really is because he’s your soulmate,’ she sighed.

Dean smiled warmly. ‘That I can get on board with. Thanks Charlie.’

‘Happy to be your queer guru, bro. And hey, I’m really happy for you, by the way.’ Dean smiled and gave her a big hug.

‘Thanks, sis. Me too.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slight delay in posting this! To make up for it, this story is mostly porn from here on out :P  
> Bonus points to anyone who spotted the slightly bastardised Jane Austen quote!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People start finding out, Dean provides some wish fulfilment, Cas provides pie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should mention that my beta nearly spit out her wine at one point, so in the interest of your electronic device, you may want to avoid drinking anything while reading this chapter. ;)

The second week, which happened to be the week before Christmas, they were forced to be rather more subdued in their activities for reasons of simple physical comfort. They even spent two nights apart, which Dean in particular decided he hated. He’d never been big into bed sharing, happy to have his own space at night, but he liked having Cas there when he woke up, and not just for the sake of morning sex.

So far, only Sam and Charlie knew what was going on; there seemed to have been an unspoken agreement between them not to advertise their relationship until they felt a bit more confident about it themselves. Two weeks after their movie date, Dean felt that it was time for that to change.

‘Hey, so I thought we could go to The Roadhouse for dinner tonight,’ he said as they relaxed in front of the TV on Saturday afternoon.

‘Dean, are you asking me out on a date?’ Cas asked with fluttering eyelashes.

Dean grabbed him around the waist and planted a wet kiss on his lips. ‘Yes I am. It’ll be easier that way.’

‘What will?’

‘Telling everybody about us. The news will spread faster from there.’

Cas raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘You want to tell everybody about us?’

Dean frowned and pulled back. ‘Well... yeah, don’t you?’

‘I hadn’t really thought about it, I guess I thought that you might want to wait a bit.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. I guess because it’s so new.’

Dean shrugged. ‘They’re going to find out sometime, and I’d rather not have to pretend that this isn’t a thing. But if you don’t want to…’ He left it hanging with a touch of disappointment in his voice.

Cas smiled and leaned in for another kiss. ‘No, it’s fine, let’s go to The Roadhouse.’ Dean drove the Impala and parked around the back of the bar to keep her safe from idiot drunks. ‘Are you ready?’

Dean nodded. ‘Yeah, let’s do this.’ They walked into The Roadhouse and took their usual table; within minutes Ellen was there to take their order.

‘Hey boys, what can I getcha tonight?’

‘Evenin’ darlin’. Double bacon cheeseburger and whatever non-frou-frou beer you’ve got on please,’ Dean ordered.

‘Same burger, but I’ll have the frou-frou beer. Thanks, Ellen.’

‘Comin’ right up,’ Ellen said with a smile. When she was gone, Cas turned to Dean and put a hand on his knee.

‘Nervous?’

‘No, just… it feels kinda weird. I don’t think I’ve ever made an announcement about a relationship before.’

‘I understand. It’s ok, I’m here.’

Dean smiled and intertwined his fingers with Cas’s. ‘Yeah.’ He leaned in and gave Cas a kiss- just as Ellen returned with their drinks.

‘Here you goooo, whoa, hello!’ Cas tried to pull away, but Dean held him firm and finished the kiss.

‘Thanks Ellen,’ he said, taking a sip. ‘By the way, we have some news.’

‘Yeah, I guess you do. ‘Bout time you boys got it together.’

‘Huh?’

‘I know we teased you about it a lot, but I always kinda hoped something would happen between you two. You’re good together.’ The boys smiled and Cas squeezed Dean’s knee again.

‘Thanks Ellen, we appreciate it. And hey, feel free to spread the word so we don’t have to repeat ourselves a million times.’

Ellen laughed. ‘Will do, Dean. But don’t expect that to fly with Jo, you know she’s going to come out here to get the whole story. Just tell her to get lost if she asks you to make out to prove it. I’ll get those burgers right out.’

It was in fact Jo who brought the burgers out, and she sat with them to eat hers with demands for details of how it finally happened. They did their best to keep the story PG, but Dean’s blushes told her all she needed to know about the nature of their epiphany; she found it hilarious that Brokeback Mountain had been the catalyst and hoped it would win a million Oscars. She didn’t ask them to make out, but every time they were affectionate she made a little squeaking noise and grinned from ear to ear. By the end of the night, several people had stopped by to say hi and confirm the rumours for themselves, and eventually Dean started getting messages and phone calls that proved the efficiency of The Roadhouse gossip machine. Cas only got one text.

**I KNEW IT.**

Dean was a bit surprised not to hear anything from Lisa, and wrestled with the question of whether to tell her himself. Although he had re-established his relationship with Ben and saw him somewhat regularly, his interactions with Lisa were minimal, albeit friendly. He discussed it with Cas, who suggested telling her, but on an occasion when they were already going to be seeing each other rather than making a special effort to call. He’d be seeing Ben soon anyway, so he decided to leave it until then.

But speak of the devil and he will come, or in this case, call. Dean was coming out of the shower the next day when his cell phone rang, showing Lisa’s number. The gossip must have made its way to her after all.

‘Hello?’

_‘Um, hi Dean, it’s Ben.’_

‘Hey buddy, how’s it going? Does your mom know you’re on her phone?’

_‘Yeah, I asked her if I could call you.’_

‘Well it’s great to hear from you. What’s happening?’

_‘Um, my basketball team made the under-twelves championship, and I was wondering if you would want to come and see me play.’_

‘Wow, Ben, that’s amazing! Yeah, I’d love to come! When is it?’

_‘The second Saturday of January, in Topeka.’_

‘Sure thing, I’ll clear my calendar.’

_‘Thanks Dean. Um… you can bring Cas if you want.’_

‘Cas?’

_‘Yeah. Mom said that you and Cas are with each other now, so if you want to bring him, that’s cool.’_

‘Thanks Ben, that’s very thoughtful of you. Is it ok with you, about me and Cas?’

_‘Yeah, Cas is cool. Hey, Mom wants to talk to you. Are we still going to see King Kong on Friday?’_

‘You bet, buddy. See you then.’

_‘Bye Dean! Here’s Mom!’_

_‘Hi Dean.’_

‘Hey Lis. That’s great news about Ben’s team.’

_‘Yeah, he’s really excited. Um, I just wanted to tell you, he really meant it about bringing Cas. It’s fine. With both of us.’_

‘I was going to tell you when I picked Ben up on Friday.’

_‘It’s fine. I’m happy for you guys. You make sense together.’_

‘Thanks Lis. How did Ben take it?’

Lisa laughed. _‘He took it completely in his stride. I told him you and Cas were together like you and I used to be together. He said he didn’t know two guys could be that way, so I said they could, and he just shrugged and said, “That’s cool. Cas is nice.” And that was it. So you don’t have to worry.’_

Dean swallowed back the emotion drying his throat and rubbed his damp eyes. ‘Thanks Lisa. You guys are the best.’

_‘Don’t you forget it. See you Friday.’_

**********

Since they had already made their separate Christmas plans, they decided to keep things as they were, with Castiel heading back to Wichita the night of the twenty-third and coming back on the twenty-eighth, while Dean would be spending Christmas day with Sam, Bobby and Karen and going back on shift on the twenty-eighth as well. Castiel hadn’t told his family about Dean yet, but was planning to bring it up at some point over the holiday. A particularly busy rush hour meant he didn’t get to his mother’s house until late in the evening, so he after a light dinner, he went straight to his room. He thought about going to bed right away, but decided to chance it in case Dean was still awake.

**Impala67: Hoped you were going to sign on tonight ;)**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: What can I say, I miss you already. Aren’t you working early tomorrow?**

**Impala67: Yeah, but I wanted to say goodnight. What are you wearing baby? ;-)**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: Is that a flirtation? :-)**

**Impala67: Duh. I need some material for my dreams later! ;-)**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: In that case, I'm totally naked and covered in baby oil.**

**Impala67: Hot!!!**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: No, it's quite cool actually. My nipples are very perky from the chill.**

**Impala67: I am enjoying that image, Cas! Damn I wish I was there.**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: *sigh* Me too.**

**Impala67: Hey, what are you doing the day after Christmas?**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: No particular plans. Why?**

**Impala67: I thought maybe I could come over if that would be OK. It’s only a couple of hours drive.**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: I would like that very much. If you don’t mind meeting the family of course.**

**Impala67: Nah, that would be cool. I can make fun of Gabriel’s car again :-D**

**Also I can give you your other Christmas present.**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: What other Christmas present?**

**Impala67: The one you didn’t get last year >:-D**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: What do you mean?**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: Oh.**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: I remember.**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: >:-D is right.**

**Impala67: Night Cas ;-)**

**Yippee_Ki_Yay_MFer: Goodnight Dean :-)**

‘So will you ever be bringing your boyfriend home to meet us, Castiel?’ his mother asked out of the blue at Christmas Eve dinner. Half the table choked on their food, and the other half concealed grins behind their napkins.

‘Actually Mom,’ he said, not looking up from his plate, ‘he’s coming to visit the day after Christmas to meet everyone.’

You could have heard a pin drop. Only Castiel’s mother didn’t seem to notice the change in atmosphere; she just smiled and said, ‘Oh, that _is_ nice. I’ll make sure to have another place setting. What was his name again? Dave? Dan?’

‘Dean.’ There was a clattering sound as Gabriel dropped his fork.

‘Does he have any particular favourites we could make for him?’

‘He was very fond of your pecan pie.’

‘Oh dear, I’m only making apple cranberry this year.’

‘That’ll be fine, he likes any kind.’

‘Oh good. We’ll make sure there’s plenty of pie then.’

Castiel finally looked up from his plate and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Gabriel’s hand was poised as if the fork was still in it. Everyone had stopped eating and was just staring at him; Samandriel looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, and Claire had a cheesy grin on her face. Castiel just looked around at all of them, shrugged, and continued eating.

Eventually the shock wore off and they all finished the meal. Castiel volunteered for dishwasher loading duty, and Gabriel followed him into the kitchen.

‘Are you pranking our almost-eighty-year-old mother, Cassie? Because even I wouldn’t do that,’ Gabriel whispered as he began handing plates over.

‘It’s not a prank. Dean really is coming here the day after Christmas.’

‘That’s not the part I’m talking about.’

Castiel turned around and looked at Gabriel. ‘That’s not a joke either. We really are seeing each other.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Seriously. It’s… new.’

Gabriel set the plates down on the counter and crossed his arms. ‘Go on.’

‘We both split up with the women we’d been seeing around Halloween, so we were spending a lot more time together. A couple of weeks ago we went to a movie, then back to his place for some drinks and more movies, and then we were sort of horsing around, and then we kissed.’

‘And?’

‘And it progressed from there, and now we’re together.’

‘I knew there was some kind of weird chemistry between you two, but I thought he was straight. Hell, I thought _you_ were straight.’

Castiel shrugged. ‘I was always slightly less straight than I let on, but I was as surprised as you that Dean was so… enthusiastic about… things,’ he finished with a blush. ‘I keep expecting him to freak out, but so far he’s just been going with it. We even had a big public unveiling at The Roadhouse the other day.’

‘Wow. And how do you feel about this turn of events?’

‘It’s been unexpected and a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m really happy. He’s my best friend.’

Gabriel put his arm around Castiel’s shoulders. ‘If he hurts you, they’ll never find the body.’

‘I know.’

**********

Dean pulled up to the Novak house in the late morning. As soon as he heard the rumble of the Impala’s engine, Castiel ran to the door before slowing down to a more leisurely saunter once he was on the porch. Dean parked on the street and strode quickly up the lawn with a small duffel bag over his shoulder. They met at the bottom of the porch steps and threw their arms around each other.

‘Hey Cas.’

‘Hello Dean.’

‘Missed you.’

‘Me too.’

‘Can I kiss you?’

‘Yes, but keep it PG. There are children present.’

Dean pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against Castiel’s and grinned. With a slight tilt of his head, he leaned in and gave him a soft, chaste kiss.

‘Holy crap, it’s actually true!’

Their smiles ended the kiss, but they didn’t let each other go. ‘Hey Gabe, how’s it going?’ Dean called out.

‘Not as well as you, apparently.’

‘That’s definitely true.’

Castiel’s shiver reminded them that they were outside and it was cold as balls, so Dean let himself be led into the house and introduced to Castiel’s huge family. Finally he was brought to the matriarch, who looked him over with a piercing stare that told him where Cas had inherited that particular trait.

‘Hello Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you,’ he said with a smile and a handshake.

‘You _are_ a handsome one,’ she replied. ‘I’ve heard so many good things about you, it’s nice to finally meet you as well.’

‘Oh, well, thank you ma’am.’

‘Naturally I must warn you that if you hurt Castiel, it won’t end well for you. My other sons will probably tell you the same, but I assure you that I’m the one you need to be afraid of.’

Dean was rendered temporarily speechless, but he felt slightly better when he looked at Cas and saw the same slack-jawed expression. ‘Um, well ma’am, I really don’t intend to hurt him. He’s pretty special to me.’

Mrs. Novak smiled. ‘Good. Now, I understand that you like pie.’

After a large lunch with two sizeable slices of what Dean referred to as ‘God’s own food’, Castiel showed Dean to their room. Dean was relieved to see a full-size bed instead of the twin he’d been fearing. He tossed his duffel in the corner and bounced onto the bed.

‘Nice room, Cas. I can totally picture blowing you in here,’ he said with a cheeky grin.

Castiel locked the door. ‘I’ve been picturing it since our chat.’

‘I think I’ve eaten too much pie to start right away.’

Castiel’s smile was utterly predatory. ‘I haven’t.’

Before Dean could fully comprehend what was going on, his jeans and boxers were around his ankles and Castiel’s mouth was on his half-hard cock. ‘Fuck!’ he groaned, trying to be as quiet as possible. The pace was brutal; Cas wanted Dean to come fast and hard, and he got his wish within a few minutes. Dean grabbed the pillow to stifle his cries.

‘God I love doing that to you,’ Castiel gasped when he finally got off his knees. ‘I love how you look when you come.’ He closed his eyes and began palming the bulge in his own jeans, until he felt Dean’s hand push his own away.

‘Get over here,’ Dean growled, pulling Cas towards him by his belt loops. He quickly got the button and zipper undone, pulling down the boxers at the same time.

‘I thought you were full,’ Castiel gasped as Dean’s tongue swiped up his shaft.

‘There’s always room for dessert.’

Cas was so hard, so on edge already, that it wasn’t long before he was warning Dean with a tug of his hair. Dean shocked him by taking him deeper into his throat, and that was enough to send Cas over the edge. ‘Holy fucking hell!’ he exclaimed slightly more loudly than intended.

Dean popped off of him with a smile. ‘I’ve been practicing.’ Castiel narrowed his eyes. ‘Um, not on real ones,’ Dean added hastily. ‘I, uh, I went to Priscilla’s. They sell, you know, toys.’ Dean’s face was bright red with embarrassment.

‘Toys?’ Castiel’s voice sounded impossibly low and husky. ‘You bought toys?’

‘Well, just the one. I wanted to make it good for you.’

Cas quickly pulled off what remained of his clothes and straddled Dean where he still sat at the edge of the bed. ‘Where is this place? We should go together.’ The bruising kiss that came next prevented Dean from answering for a while.

‘It’s on Twenty-third Street. They’re very nice there.’

‘We’ll go when I get back. I may have to come home early. Maybe there will be a work emergency.’

‘I can stay here a couple of days. Why do you want to go back early?’

Cas thrust his fingers into Dean’s hair. ‘Because here I can’t make you scream.’

 ‘Geez, Cas,’ Dean moaned. ‘Talking like that, you make me want to go right now.’

‘I’m afraid we’re already committed to board games tonight.’

‘Damn. OK, how about we split the difference and go back tomorrow after lunch to get started on that whole screaming thing?’

‘It’s a deal.’

Eventually they got themselves back into a state of sufficient respectability to rejoin the family. Castiel’s nieces wiped the floor with all the adults until it was time for them to go to bed. A few cups of eggnog later, the adults followed suit. Ready for bed and ensconced in their room, Cas quickly stripped down and got into bed.

‘Uh, you forgot your PJs, there, Cas.’

‘I usually sleep naked. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.’

‘Yeah, slight problem. If you’re naked, I’m gonna want to touch you, and if I start touching you, I’m not gonna stop.’

‘You say that like it’s a bad thing.’

Dean smirked and pulled off his boxers before climbing on top of Cas. ‘You want me to do you in your childhood bedroom, don’t you?’

‘You have no idea,’ Cas replied, grabbing Dean’s ass with both hands.

‘God, Cas, what you do to me,’ Dean moaned, burying his face in Castiel’s neck.

‘It’s only fair, you do it to me too.’ He moved his hand up to Dean’s head and pulled him down into a kiss.

‘Cas, I didn’t bring any supplies,’ Dean whined. ‘I didn’t think we’d have the chance.’

‘That’s OK, we can just make out,’ Cas assured him. ‘Or…’ he started before pulling Dean in for another kiss.

‘Or what?’

‘Never mind, it’s a dumb idea. Way too cheesy.’

‘Come on, tell me.’

‘Promise you won’t laugh?’

‘No. What if it’s hilarious?’

‘Shut up.’

‘Come on, Cas, spit it out.’

‘When I was in high school, I kind of had a fixation on a particular sexual position,’ Cas admitted with a blush. ‘I never actually got to do it back then though.’

‘I’m more than happy to fulfil all your old fantasies. Tell me.’

’Sixty-nine.’

Dean smiled. ‘Hell yeah, let’s do it!’ He began kissing his way down Castiel’s body. When he got down to Castiel’s cock, he gave a long lick along the length, then winked and flipped his body around. His knee almost ended up in Castiel’s face, and they couldn’t quite get the angle right for both to be comfortable. They tried going onto their sides instead, but Dean’s arm started falling asleep, and then Cas got a foot cramp. It all felt awkward and silly, and soon they were both chuckling, and then giggling, and then laughing so hard and so loudly that Hannah knocked on the wall for them to shut up. This just led to another fit of giggles, albeit slightly quieter. Eventually they just gave up, and Dean turned back around to lie next to Cas.

‘Well, that was a disaster,’ Cas said with a final laugh.

‘Hey, sometimes sex is funny. Still, a teenage fantasy checked off, right?’

Cas turned his head and grinned at Dean. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’ Somehow he managed to convey that he didn’t just mean in Wichita.

‘Me too, Cas.’

'So have you got any teenage fantasies I could fulfil for you?' Dean thought about it for a moment, opened his mouth as if to speak, and then slammed his jaw shut with a clack of teeth as his cheeks went pink. 'Ooh, that looks promising,' Castiel purred. 'Do tell.'

'Uh, well… no man, I can't, it's too embarrassing.'

'I promise I won't laugh, Dean, you can tell me.'

'It's just… OK, when I was nineteen, I had this girlfriend called Rhonda, and she had this _thing_ she was into. She ended up roping me into it once, and… I kinda liked it.'

'When you say roping you into it-' Castiel began to ask, but Dean laughed and shook his head.

'No, no! I don't mean literally roping me. I just mean she talked me into it.'

'I'm on the metaphorical edge of my seat here, Dean,' Castiel pressed. 'Just tell me.'

'She… she asked me to wear her panties.'

Castiel sat bolt upright and straddled Dean's hips, eyes wide and cock rapidly hardening again. 'Panties? What… what were they like?'

'Um, they were pink and satiny I guess.' Dean groaned as Castiel rolled his hips, rubbing his revived erection against Dean's hip.

'I wish I could've seen that,' Castiel panted. 'Bet you looked gorgeous. Would you do it again?'

'You want me to wear panties?' Dean asked incredulously.

'Only if you'd be OK with it, of course,' Castiel replied, but Dean caught the subtextual _Holy shit, yes!_ that Castiel tried to hide behind the casual answer.

'Why don't you buy me some and find out?' Dean growled, grabbing Castiel's hips to try and speed up the pace of his rutting. Castiel bit his lip to stifle a moan and took them both in hand to finish things off.

'Fuck,' he whispered as he rolled onto his back again. 'You are just full of surprises, Dean Winchester.'

'Good surprises?'

'Always.'

**********

They got back to Lawrence in time for dinner the next day and stopped by Sam’s to drop off some of Mrs. Novak’s pie. As it turned out, Sam was having an impromptu game night; Jo, Crowley and Sarah were all there as well, and the entire pie ended up being shared out amongst them. Naturally this was Castiel’s pie; Dean had gotten his own and refused point blank to share it with anyone.

‘Meeting the in-laws then, Squirrel?’ Crowley asked with his usual amused air. ‘How did it go?’

Dean refused to rise to the in-laws jibe. ‘Cas’s mom gave me pie, so clearly they loved me,’ he said proudly.

‘Wow, and you’re sharing it with us?’ Sam asked incredulously.

‘Hello no! This is Cas’s pie. Mine is safe in Baby, ain’t no fucker getting a piece of that but me.’

‘Not even Cas?’ Sarah teased.

‘Especially not Cas! He had a whole three days of eating pie before I got there.’

‘I hope you weren’t expecting special boyfriend privileges where pie is involved, pet,’ Crowley said to Cas.

‘Quite the opposite. I assume that I’m expected to _provide_ pies.’

Dean smirked and smacked Castiel’s ass. ‘At least you get something in return now!’

Sam made exaggerated gagging noises, which apparently was the wrong thing to do, as Cas immediately said to him, ‘Yes, something like that, although he’s getting better at it.’

Crowley spit his whisky all over the game board, while Jo seemed to be choking on her beer. Sarah was cackling like a madwoman while patting an extremely disturbed-looking Sam on the shoulder. Dean would cherish the image forever. ‘Speaking of which, we’re out of here. See you guys at The Roadhouse for New Year!’

**********

Dean had spent the best part of two years educating Cas in the musical arts of classic rock and metal, and he was excited to see it finally come to fruition at the New Year party karaoke. Cas wouldn’t tell him what he’d chosen, but did promise that it would be rock. Dean was up first with ‘Carry On Wayward Son,’ and then came Castiel’s turn. Dean smiled in recognition of the opening guitar riff to ‘Poison’ by Alice Cooper; now it made sense why Cas had insisted on wearing black jeans and a black button-down.

Thanks to the consumption of most of a bottle of champagne, Cas really went all out, acting out the lyrics and pointing to Dean throughout the chorus. In the short instrumental bridge before the second verse, Cas got on all fours- or rather, three, as one hand still held the microphone- and crawled to the edge of the stage right in front of Dean before straightening up onto his knees.

‘Your mouth, so hot; your web, I'm caught; your skin, so wet; black lace, on sweat…’ he sang, running his hand down his chest. Before it got too obscene, he winked at Dean, jumped up, and carried on with the song.

Dean’s mouth was dry. He had never seen Cas quite so… sexy. The music barely registered anymore; his eyes were glued to Cas as he danced and strutted across the stage. Finally the song finished and Cas stepped down; before he could sit, Dean grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the back. As they passed the bar, he caught Ellen’s eye. She didn’t say a word, but she definitely had a look that said ‘I know you don’t think you’re about to fuck in my bathroom.’ He _had_ been thinking it, but instead he took a detour to the back door and out to the Impala.

‘Dean, what are you doing?’ Castiel asked, and Dean realised he’d probably been trying to get his attention for a while. ‘You shouldn’t be driving.’

Dean pushed him up against the car. ‘Wasn’t plannin’ on it,’ he agreed as he claimed Castiel’s lips and pressed his body against him. Cas got with the program, grabbing Dean’s ass to help them get more friction.

‘I take it you liked my song then,’ he said breathlessly when Dean pulled away to unlock the back door.

‘So hot,’ Dean replied, pushing Cas onto the back seat and closing the door again. He wasted no time in getting Cas’s jeans open and pushed halfway down his thighs while Cas unbuttoned his shirt. ‘Maybe save that one for the bedroom in future,’ Dean added, then dropped to the footwell and began sucking Castiel’s cock, much to its owner’s surprise.

‘Well if that’s the response I’ll get!’ he gasped.

Dean popped off to say, ‘Would’ve fucked you, but don’t have the stuff,’ before starting in again. Cas moaned, resisting the urge to thrust up into Dean’s mouth. The thrill of being in a parking lot where they could be seen combined with Dean’s enthusiasm meant it didn’t take long for Cas to come down Dean’s throat. As soon as he was done, Dean climbed back on top, opening his own jeans to free his erection from the constraining material.

‘Get up here,’ Cas demanded, and Dean moved to straddle his chest. Cas took him in as deeply as the awkward angle would allow, knowing it wouldn’t take much to send Dean over the edge. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later Dean was moaning his release, and Cas swallowed carefully to ensure no mess on the upholstery.

‘Damn,’ Dean panted as he let Cas sit up to fix his clothes. ‘When did I become such a kinky bastard?’

‘Are you trying to tell me you’ve never had sex in this back seat before?’ Castiel asked sceptically.

‘Course I have. Just not in the parking lot of my favourite bar right under a streetlight. I usually go somewhere a bit more secluded.’

‘I’m flattered to have gotten you so worked up you couldn’t even wait until we got home,’ Cas said with a grin.

‘It would’ve been sooner, but I think Ellen would have killed me if I’d done that in the bathroom.’ He checked himself in the rear-view mirror, then looked Cas over and nodded his approval. ‘It’s a good thing your hair always looks like you’ve just been fucked, people won’t be too suspicious when we go back in.’

Cas raised an eyebrow and laughed. ‘Dean, you dragged me out of there looking like you were going to eat me, and now we’ve been gone for nearly twenty minutes. I’m pretty sure everybody is going to have a pretty good idea of what we’ve been doing.’

Dean blushed, then shrugged. ‘Oh well. I know half the people in that room probably wish they could’ve done the same thing when they saw you up there. Fuckin’ hot, dude. Now come on, it’s almost midnight.’ The moment they stepped back into the bar hand in hand, the catcalls and teasing began. There were a few sour faces here and there, but overall The Roadhouse was a pretty liberal establishment, and the price of their tryst was mainly R-rated mocking at the hands of their friends.

They welcomed in the New Year with champagne, good cheer, and a kiss that would have gotten them kicked out of most any other bar in town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I actually looked up sex shops in Lawrence, Kansas, and yes there was a shop called Priscilla's on 23rd Street back in the mid-2000s.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's basketball tournament, Dean's 30th birthday, and Dean and Castiel's relationship reaches whole new levels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in posting, I started a new job yesterday and was a bit discombobulated. Only two more chapters to go after this!

_Mid-January_

‘Are you sure you’re OK with this?’ Castiel asked for what must have been the tenth time. ‘Last chance for me to back out. I can get a bus home.’

‘Dude, chill. Ben said it’s OK, Lisa said it’s OK. It’s a kid’s basketball game,’ Dean replied as he turned off the highway at Topeka.

‘I know, but I haven’t seen Lisa since you guys broke up and we got together. What if it’s awkward?’

‘Of course it’s going to be awkward. You should have seen how it was the first time I went to see Ben after Thanksgiving. Awkward. As. Hell. But we got over it and now it’s fine.’

‘Yes, but… I’m still kind of worried she sees me as having stolen her man or something.’

Dean laughed. ‘Cas, it was months between me and Lisa breaking up and you and me getting together. I don’t think we’re in Jello wrestling at dawn territory. Unfortunately,’ he added a bit wistfully.

‘I know. There was just that whole bromance thing and you thought she wouldn’t be surprised by us and all that stuff.’

‘Cas, relax. Lisa’s cool with it, and it’s not like we’re going to be making out at a kiddie basketball tournament.’

‘OK. If you’re sure.’

Dean grabbed Castiel’s hand and kissed it. ‘Totally sure.’ They pulled into a parking space near Lee Arena and bought their tickets. Inside the arena was packed with families there to enjoy the all-day tournament for all the age group teams that had made it to the finals. Cas and Dean were careful to keep a larger distance between themselves than usual; this was unlikely to be too friendly a space for them.

They finally spotted Ben’s team sitting in the southwestern section of the arena and made their way over. Ben ran up to Dean and hugged him tightly. ‘Thanks for coming, Dean!’ he said with clear excitement. ‘We’re totally gonna kick some butt!’

‘I know you’ll do awesome, bud!’

Ben released Dean and gave Castiel a slightly less enthusiastic but still warm hug. ‘Hi Cas!’

‘Hello Ben. Best of luck today.’

‘Thanks! Oh, gotta go, it’s time for warm-ups. Mom’s just up in the family section,’ Ben pointed before running off to join his teammates. Cas and Dean looked up and found Lisa, who was waving down at them.

‘Moment of truth,’ Cas muttered as they went up the steps.

‘Hi guys,’ Lisa greeted them with a smile, hugging first Dean then Castiel. ‘Glad you could make it.’

‘It’s nice to see you, Lisa,’ Cas replied. ‘You’re looking very well.’

‘You too, Cas. Thanks for coming along, it means a lot to Ben.’

‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Lis,’ Dean assured her. ‘Do you guys have time to go for dinner afterwards?’

‘Unfortunately not, the whole team are going out together after the game. Raincheck?’

‘Yeah, for sure. Hey, I’m gonna get some snacks from the concession stand, you guys want anything?’

‘Hot dog and Coke please,’ Cas replied, and Lisa shook her head. For a moment Dean looked like he was going to lean down and kiss Cas, but then remembered himself and just squeezed his shoulder. Cas and Lisa watched him walk off, both somewhat unabashedly admiring the view.

‘It suits you,’ Lisa said once Dean had disappeared from view.

‘Sorry?’

‘Being with Dean. It suits you. You guys look great together.’

‘Oh. Um, thank you. But I want to assure you, nothing was going on while you and Dean were together.’

Lisa laughed. ‘Oh god, I know. Both of you were so oblivious about whatever it was you had between you, I’m kind of surprised you got it together at all.’

Cas smiled. ‘It took us by surprise as well.’

‘I’ve never asked Dean how it happened, it kind of felt weird to. Would you mind telling me?’

Cas blushed and spoke more softly so as not be heard by the people around them. ‘Oh, um, well, it’s kind of funny, actually. We watched Brokeback Mountain.’

Lisa giggled. ‘Are you serious? The gay cowboy movie?’

‘Yes, Sam had bought us tickets as a joke, without telling Dean anything besides that it was a cowboy movie. Anyway, we were talking about the story afterwards, and it all sort of happened from there.’

‘That’s actually pretty adorable. Did Dean freak out?’

‘Surprisingly enough, no. He hasn’t freaked out yet. I keep expecting him to, but he’s just been completely “chill” about the whole thing,’ Cas replied, complete with air quotes. 

‘And what about you? Any freaking out?’

‘No, I was already aware that I, er, had some tendencies for going both ways. What about you? It must be at least a bit strange for you.’

‘It’s definitely a little weird,’ Lisa admitted. ‘It’s always weird when your ex starts dating someone new, especially when it was serious. And I definitely never expected _Dean_ of all people to go gay or bi or whatever. But it also wasn’t exactly a surprise when I heard that it was you. I think part of me was almost expecting it, and that made it a bit less of a gut punch than it might otherwise have been.’

‘I’m sorry if you were hurt.’

‘I wasn’t really. I know he didn’t leave me for you or anything. I’m glad that he’s happy, and seeing you together… well, I don’t think anyone else ever stood a chance. That’s some destiny-level stuff you guys have going on.’

Castiel blushed again, but couldn’t reply as Dean had returned with the food. ‘I couldn’t decide between a hot dog or nachos, so I just got both,’ he announced, taking the empty seat between them and handing Castiel his hot dog and cup. 'Did I miss tip-off?’

‘No, it starts in five minutes,’ Lisa replied, checking her watch. She stole a nacho and said ever so casually, ‘So, Dean… Brokeback Mountain?’

Dean groaned. ‘Caaaas! You told her?’

‘She asked,’ Cas replied with a shrug.

‘Wait- how much did you tell?’ Dean asked, pink rising from his neck into his cheekbones.

‘That we saw the movie and talked about it, and the rest is history.’

‘Is there more?’ Lisa asked with a twinkle in her eye.

‘Nothing family friendly,’ Dean mumbled.

‘Ah, it’s a get you drunk type of story. Noted,’ Lisa teased, elbowing Dean’s arm.

‘Oh look, they’re getting started,’ Dean said, pointing to the court, and obstinately refused to hear the laughter to either side of him.

Ben’s team won, and Dean promised the jubilant boy that they’d go out to celebrate the following weekend. Lisa hugged them both goodbye, again teasing Dean about getting the rest of the story, and joined the team for their after-party.

‘That was nice,’ Cas said once they were back in the Impala. ‘You were right, Lisa was OK with it.’

‘Yeah, she’s a cool chick. Um, why were you guys talking about Brokeback Mountain?’

‘She asked me how it happened. I was as circumspect as I could be about it.’

‘Why didn’t she just ask me?’

‘She said it felt weird.’

‘Yeah, I guess. So it was all OK then?’

‘Yes, she was very kind. She said we look good together, and that she had been expecting it to some extent. She also knew that nothing happened while you two were together, so that was a weight off my mind.’

Dean grabbed Castiel’s hand. ‘Told ya. Man, it felt so weird not touching you at all. I’m definitely gonna have to make up for it by touching you a lot when we get home.’

‘I think I can deal with that.’

**********

_January 24 th_

Dean couldn't turn thirty without some amount of fanfare, and his family and friends refused to let him have anything to do with the planning of it. Ellen closed The Roadhouse for the night, Bobby gave Dean the next day off, and Castiel mainly had the task of keeping Dean distracted while everyone planned, shopped and decorated behind Dean's back; his methods were extremely effective.

 

No Roadhouse party would be complete without karaoke, and Sam had taken it upon himself to choose the playlist. Of course, he had Dean doing 'Eye of the Tiger' for his first performance, but couldn't resist also making him do 'Baby One More Time' as revenge for everything Dean had ever chosen for Sam. He thought long and hard about the traditional bromantic duet, but figured that since it was now a _ro_ mantic duet, it had to be as embarrassingly sappy as possible. Inspiration struck when Jo cued up some tunes on the jukebox as they were setting up the decorations that afternoon: 'Can't Fight This Feeling' by REO Speedwagon.

Dean couldn't even be annoyed by the choices, partly because Sam had accidentally hit on some of his guilty pleasure songs, but he couldn't just let Sam get away with it. When it came time for his duet with Castiel, he went for maximum cheesy schmoopiness, acting out the lyrics with some creative interpretive dancing, and of course planting a sloppy kiss on his boyfriend at the end to a chorus of 'Awwwws!' from the crowd.

'You two are far too precious,' Crowley said as they took their seats again. 'Touches me right where my bathing suit goes.'

'Oh come on, man!' Sam whined. 'Their goopiness is gross enough without adding that image!'

'If it helps, I strictly wear very tiny Speedos. And I do mean _tiny_ ,' Crowley emphasised with a wink.

'I'm not sure that's something to brag about, Crowley,' Castiel said dryly.

Crowley just shrugged. 'You know, once when I was high, I tried to sell my soul for an extra three inches below the belt. Of course, it didn't work, since I was talking to a post box, not the devil, but what can I say, I was determined to hit double digits.'

That joke received a chorus of groans and tossed beer mats, and also started a rowdy discussion on what people were willing to sell their souls for. Castiel pulled Dean close and whispered in his ear, 'I'd sell my soul for us to leave right now so I can ride your cock the rest of the night.'

Dean leapt out of his chair so fast it fell over. 'Well dudes, it's been great, but I've got one more birthday present to unwrap, and with all the cops here, I don't want Cas to get arrested for indecent exposure. Thanks for a great party!' This too earned a chorus of boos and projectiles, but Dean just flipped them all off with both hands and pulled Castiel out to the parking lot, tossing him the keys to Baby. 'Be gentle with her,' he warned as he slipped into the passenger seat. 'I'm taking any scratches out on your ass.'

'Aren't you supposed to give me an incentive _not_ to scratch her?'

'Good point. Any scratches and I won't be taking anything out on your ass for a month. So just watch it, mister.'

**********

_February_

Despite all of Dean's obvious enthusiasm for all aspects of his relationship with Castiel, there did still seem to be an expectation that Dean would go through a bigger sexual identity crisis at some point; but by the beginning of February, it hadn’t happened yet. It probably helped that most things hadn’t really changed between them; they still hung out in the same ways, spent time at each other’s places, with the only difference being that instead of ending the night with a couple of beers and a high five, they got naked. Their friends were all supportive, and many of the people they didn’t know that well had already assumed they were a couple anyway and didn’t treat them any differently, whether in a good or bad way. The freak-out actually came in a completely different and unexpected way.

Cas had been determined to teach Dean the full meaning of slow burn, and decided that their first fuck after getting tested and confirming they were clean would be the time to do it. Dean had a rare long weekend off; on Friday Cas used Dean’s official police issue handcuffs to secure his wrists to the bed posts, and spent the next hour bringing him to the brink with his mouth and hands, only to pull away before Dean was able to find satisfaction.

Dean was writhing, moaning, begging Cas to let him come, but Cas only responded by threatening to tie his legs down too if he couldn’t behave himself. When he finally impaled himself on Dean’s bare cock and rode him, it only took a few thrusts for Dean to scream Cas’s name. As he finally stopped bucking, Cas had pulled off and quickly climbed up Dean’s body to fuck his willing mouth, Dean sucking him down like a pro until Cas came down his throat.

Cas cleaned them both up while Dean laid there in a daze, not moving until Cas settled in on his back and pulled Dean to his chest. ‘Fucking hell Cas, that was amazing,’ Dean slurred as if drunk.

‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.’

‘I loved it. I love everything you do to me. I love _you_ ,’ he mumbled just before he dozed off. Cas was spared having to reply by the sound of Dean’s light snoring, but he knew that sleep wasn’t going to claim him anytime soon. His brain was whirring with what Dean had just said, his heart beating so fast he was half afraid that it would wake Dean up and he’d have to say something. And what would he say? He’d never imagined that Dean would say those words to him- not so soon at least. He’d been fully expecting the much joked about sexual identity crisis/big gay freak-out from Dean. He figured they’d have to work through a lot, slow things down until Dean was ready, and hopefully it would all be fine in the end.

Cas realised that he’d been holding a part of himself back, because it couldn’t just be this easy. Friends to lovers courtesy of a gay cowboy movie and that was just it for both of them? That’s not how it worked in real life. At least Cas had semi-acknowledged his bisexuality in the past, even if circumstances and a small amount of cowardice had meant only dating women since he left college. But Dean had never been with a man, never even _thought_ about it until they were making out like teenagers on Dean’s living room floor. How was he able to just accept it all so breezily, embrace this relationship so wholeheartedly as to bring the L-word into it already?

It was so typically _Dean_. He had a big, open heart, cleaving to people he cared about with ferocity. Cas thought back to how quickly they had become friends, how easily Dean had brought him into his life, trusted him from the start because he saw Cas as the man who saved him. Why should he be surprised that Dean loved him? He’d already told Cas he was family, the most important word in Dean’s dictionary. Now that he thought about it, it was obvious. Another hour of thinking about it made him realise how obvious it was that he loved Dean too.

As Dean would say, ‘Duh.’ As Bobby might add, ‘Ya idjit.’ A calm feeling passed over him, and he finally fell asleep.

Cas awoke to an empty bed and the smell of coffee and bacon wafting from the kitchen. Groaning with residual soreness from the enthusiastic activity of the night before, he went to the bathroom to freshen up and practice saying, ‘I love you, Dean,’ silently to his reflection. When he came back out into the bedroom, Dean was back, wearing his bathrobe and carrying a tray laden with breakfast.

‘Mornin’ sunshine,’ he said with a grin. ‘Breakfast in bed?’

‘Yes please,’ Cas said eagerly, stomach growling from the proximity of the delicious smells. He got back into the bed and arranged himself neatly so Dean could pass over the tray and join him. They exchanged pleasantries about quality and quantity of sleep as they tucked in, and Cas began to wonder if Dean even remembered saying what he’d said the night before. That doubt was soon erased. Cas moaned as he bit into the luscious French toast that Dean had prepared, and Dean smiled smugly.

‘See, now this is just one reason why I love you- nobody else appreciates my cooking the way you do.’ Cas swallowed and looked over at Dean, who was blushing slightly but otherwise had his usual confident expression. Cas raised his hand and stroked Dean’s cheek.

‘I love you too, Dean.’ With a deepening blush, Dean turned his head to kiss Cas’s palm, and when their eyes met again, there was another level of intensity in the air. Cas leaned over and Dean met him halfway for a soft kiss, and when they pulled away, Dean laughed.

‘Been practicing that in my head for days,’ he admitted, stuffing some bacon into his mouth. ‘I figured I should just spit it out before overthinking it.’

‘You said it last night as you were falling asleep.’

Dean looked surprised. ‘Did I? Damn. I wanted to make sure I didn’t say it during sexy times. I didn’t want it to seem like just a heat of the moment thing, you know?’

Cas nodded. ‘I realised that it was genuine. It frightened me at first.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘I've been preparing myself for your inevitable sexual identity crisis, and was quite _un_ prepared for you not to have one. Admitting to myself that I loved you felt like it would only make it harder if you pulled away from me.’

Dean put his hand on Cas’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. ‘Not gonna happen, Cas. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been having lots of mini gay freak-outs.’

‘Like what?’                                                                 

‘I dunno, like wondering if I’m supposed to like Celine Dion now or something. Or if people can tell by looking at me that I’m sleeping with a dude and are going to treat me different. But probably the main one has been realising that I don’t really like dudes.’

Cas frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘I mean, other dudes. I’ve never been attracted to men at all. I can see when a man is good-looking or whatever, but I don’t feel attracted to them myself. And that hasn’t changed. It’s not like big bisexual floodgates have opened or something. I just… I just want _you_ , and it doesn’t matter that you’re a dude, I just want _you_.’ Cas relaxed a bit, but it didn’t do anything to relieve his worry that a big gay freak-out was still imminent. ‘I talked to Charlie about it, and she said maybe I’m heteroflexible or something. Maybe it’s that, or maybe it’s that sometimes there’s a particular person who’s just it for you, and all that stuff doesn’t matter, you’d love them whatever their junk. Like soulmates. For me, that’s you.’ Dean was really blushing now, and Cas appreciated his frankness given his usual dislike of the chick flick moments.

‘Well, it’s a relief that I still only need to be jealous of half the population and not all of it,’ he joked, lightening the mood to make Dean feel more comfortable.

Dean smiled, but kept his gaze penetrating. ‘ _You_ don’t have to be jealous of anybody,’ he said softly but firmly. Cas was used to being the one dishing out the soul-piercing stares, but Dean was giving him a run for his money, and it made him shiver.

‘Neither do you,’ he replied.

Dean squeezed his shoulder again and then returned to his breakfast. ‘Good. Now let’s stop painting each other’s nails and have breakfast.’ Once they had finished eating, Dean took the tray away, and Cas followed him to the kitchen to help clean up. They gravitated to the couch afterwards, and Dean switched on the TV for them to veg out for a while. They hadn’t made any particular plans for the weekend, and both were quite content to be a bit lazy after the intensity of the morning and the night before.

Dean leaned against Cas, and after a while they were in a partially horizontal position, with Cas leaning against the arm of the couch with his feet on the coffee table, and Dean lying against his chest. Cas stroked Dean’s arm absently as they watched cartoons and Dean complained about how they weren’t as good as when he was a kid. When the lunchtime news came on, Dean switched off the TV.

‘So did you want to do anything today?’ he asked, sitting up to look at Cas.

‘Not really. You?’

‘I may have had one or two things in mind.’

Cas raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on Dean’s knee. ‘Do tell.’

Dean cleared his throat and went pink again, apparently going for a record number of blushes this morning. ‘I’ve been thinking about, uh, trying something new together.’

‘OK. Anything particular? Do you want to go skydiving or something?’

‘Uh, no. I mean, like… um, sex stuff.’ Dean’s face was quite red now, and Cas tried to help.

‘Do you want to tie me up? Spank me?’ he teased.

‘No, I was thinking something _you_ could do to _me_.’

‘You want me to tie _you_ up and spank you?’

Dean laughed and shook his head. ‘No. Well, maybe, I don’t know, maybe some other time.’

Cas put his finger under Dean’s chin and forced him to meet his eyes. ‘Dean, I can’t tell you whether I’m up for it if you won’t even tell me what it is.’

‘Right, yeah. It’s just, I’ve been wondering what this thing would be like, for a while now actually, but it’s definitely waaaay outside of my wheelhouse. But you really seem to like it, and I know it feels good on my end of it, so I thought you’d probably like how that felt and…’

Cas grabbed Dean’s shoulders. ‘Dean. Are you asking me to top you?’

Dean sighed with relief. ‘ _Yes_ , thank you,’ he huffed.

Cas wrapped Dean in his arms and kissed his temple. ‘It would be my pleasure, and hopefully yours.’

Dean planted little kisses on Cas’s neck. ‘Could we start now?’ he said huskily, and Cas noticed the bulge that had appeared in Dean’s pyjamas.

‘Absolutely.’ They retreated to the bedroom, where Dean enthusiastically removed his clothes and jumped onto the bed. Cas followed more calmly and took the lube from the drawer. ‘Have you ever had anything up there? Fingers or toys?’

‘No, nothing.’

‘OK, then, first things first- I’m not going to fuck you today.’ Dean frowned as Cas shook his head. ‘It will be better if we ease our way into it. Trust me, it’s really intense and can be very painful if it’s not done right. I want to give you plenty of time to open up and get used to the feeling, and then if you still want to, we can do it tomorrow. Is that ok?’

‘Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks Cas.’ Cas pushed Dean down flat onto his back and climbed on top of him, their kisses becoming increasingly more passionate. He opened the lube and put a dab on his index finger, then dipped it down between Dean’s legs, slicking up the entrance and making Dean gasp. He slowly, gently slipped his fingertip in, reminding Dean to breathe deeply and relax. Eventually he got the entire digit in, working it in and out, and then curling it to search for Dean’s prostate. Dean moaned as he hit the spot, running the fingertip back and forth over it. Judging by the squirt of pre-come and thrust of Dean’s hips with each pass, he was very sensitive and already enjoying it.

‘How is it so far, Dean?’ he asked, nipping at Dean’s earlobe.

‘Fuck, Cas, so good,’ came the shuddering reply.

‘Ready for another?’

‘Yeah, yeah, please.’ Cas pulled the first finger out and Dean gave a little whine of disappointment.

‘Roll onto your stomach.’ Cas added more lube to his fingers as Dean repositioned himself. Dean was more relaxed now, and the first finger went back in easily. The second was a bit more of a stretch, and Cas kissed his way down Dean’s spine to distract him as it went in. Dean’s hips rolled up against Cas’s hand as Dean’s breath grew increasingly ragged. ‘OK, roll back over.' Dean complied, and Cas kept the fingers pumping as he leaned over to claim Dean’s mouth again. He felt Dean’s cock twitching against his stomach, Dean’s increasingly frantic moans acting as a request to come. Cas leaned back onto his knees. ‘Touch yourself, Dean.’ He didn’t need to be told twice, jerking himself frantically as Cas did the same. Dean came first, the combination of his fist and Cas’s incessant stroking of his prostate forcing an intense orgasm that had him seeing stars in his peripheral vision. Cas followed a minute or two later, leaning over Dean to add to the come on his stomach.

‘Kinky,’ Dean said when Cas returned to the bed with a damp washcloth.

‘Which part?’

‘Coming on me.’

Cas blushed. ‘Sorry, I got a bit carried away.’

‘It was hot.’

‘Really?’

Dean balled up the washcloth and threw it in the laundry basket, then pulled Cas down into a kiss. ‘Yeah, I liked it. All of it.’

‘So you want to continue?’

‘Hell yeah,’ Dean huffed, claiming Cas’s mouth again. ‘Can’t wait.’

**********

The next morning, Cas woke up first, and he was determined to take advantage of it. He left Dean lying on his stomach and slipped to the bathroom as quietly as he could; when he was done, he went to make coffee, carrying back the two steaming mugs just in time to see Dean pop up his head and give him a sleepy smile. His hair was a mess and his eyes were barely open; Cas was pretty sure he’d never looked so adorable.

‘What’s up, Cas? Besides my penis.’

‘Hello Dean,’ he said with a grin. ‘Coffee?’

‘God yeah.’ He sat up and took the mug gratefully. ‘Sleep well?’

‘Very. You?’

‘Awesome. I always sleep well after a good lay,’ he smirked.

Cas leaned over to whisper in Dean’s ear. ‘Just wait until I’m done with you today.’

Dean couldn’t help but tremble a bit at the promise of that. He set the mug down on the nightstand and grabbed Cas’s wrist. ‘I’m gonna hold you to that.’

Cas smiled. ‘And I’m going to fuck you right into that mattress.’

Dean reclaimed his mug and gulped down his coffee eagerly. ‘Give me five minutes, and then I’ll let you fuck me into any furniture you want.’ Cas cleared his throat and squirmed to adjust his boxers. Dean just looked smug.

A few minutes later, Dean came out of the bathroom to find Cas naked and hard on the bed, lazily stroking himself. Dean licked his lips while his eyes took in every detail of the tableau. Yep- dudes in general may not be his thing, but this dude in particular was one hundred percent, completely and totally his thing. Cas extended a hand and Dean went to him. They just kissed for a while, slow, languorous kisses that Cas fought to keep that way, but Dean wasn’t having it.

‘Oh no, Cas. I let you do that slow stuff the other night, and don’t get me wrong, it was awesome, but that is not how it’s goin’ down today.’

‘Eager are we?’

Dean pounced and got Cas flat on his back. ‘Yeah, I’m very eager to have you do me. So get on with it.’

‘Yes sir, Officer Winchester.’ Cas reached for the lube and started with a single finger again, but Dean was still a little loose and had gotten better at relaxing, so he went right up to two with little preamble. Dean writhed into his hand as he stroked the prostate again, and soon a third finger was added. Cas worked Dean open slowly, holding back his own increasing desperation for Dean’s sake; he wanted this to be so good that Dean would not just want to do it again, but would _beg_ for it. Like he was now.

‘Cas, will you please just fuck me already?’ Dean whined. ‘I’m dying’ here!’

Cas smirked and gently pulled out his fingers, taking a tissue to wipe them down, then sat up to lean against the headboard with his legs stretched out. ‘Straddle me,’ he ordered, patting his thighs invitingly.

‘Huh?’

‘If you’re on top you can control the pace,’ Cas explained. ‘It’s better for your first time.’

‘Sounds suspiciously like you want me to do all the work, Cas,’ Dean complained, but positioned his legs either side of Cas’s.

‘I’m afraid of hurting you with enthusiasm,’ Cas whispered roughly. ‘You’re going to feel so hot and tight that I’m just going to want to lose control and pound into you. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that, but not the first time.’ Dean shivered, uncertain whether that was a threat or a promise; when had Cas gotten so good at dirty talk?

Without further complaint, Dean lined himself up as Cas held himself to the right angle. Dean slowly lowered himself down, getting past the initial pressure and burn once the head was all the way in. They both moaned as Dean slid down further, taking his time to get used to the feeling, and a satisfied sigh passed his lips once he was fully seated.

'Oh my fucking god,' Dean said breathlessly. 'That feels amazing. Weird, but amazing.'

'You're telling me,' Cas replied, entire body tense as he tried to pull back from an orgasm that threatened to come too soon. 'Please don't move yet, I need a second.'

'Yeah, I know that feeling. Say when.'

Cas took another minute to breathe deeply, closing his eyes against the far too arousing image of Dean above him, ready to ride him. When he finally felt in control again, he nodded.

Dean began slowly, rolling his hips to grow accustomed to the feeling. Every movement seemed to surprise him with the pleasure created, and he loved watching Cas beneath, his eyes wide with a heady combination of love and lust. He experimented with angles until he found one that brushed his prostate in just the right way and thrust into it again and again. His fingers dug into Castiel's chest to keep himself in this position, and Castiel's fingers held tight to Dean's hips.

'Dean, I'm… I'm… oh god, yes!' Cas cried out as he filled Dean for the first time. Dean kept riding hard, unable to free a hand to touch himself, so Cas wrapped his fingers around Dean's cock and stroked him roughly. Dean came so hard that he shot all over Castiel's chest, neck and even up to his cheek, and if hadn't already just come, Cas was pretty sure that would have made him go again.

'Ho-ly fuck,' Dean groaned as he carefully pulled off and laid on his side next to Cas. 'You were right. That was intense.'

'Did you enjoy it?'

'Fuck yeah. Did you?'

'I'm not sure I can even begin to describe how much I enjoyed it.'

Dean smiled, and then made a disgusted face. 'Uh, I think I'm leaking.'

Cas laughed. 'Oh yeah, there's that. Come on, let's run to the shower.' He handed Dean some tissues to deal with the immediate problem, and once they were in the shower, he tenderly cleaned Dean up while planting soft kisses on his neck and shoulders. 'I love you, Dean. Thank you for doing that with me.'

'Love you too, Cas. It was awesome.'

'Definitely awesome.'


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly porn. There's also some romance, and the boys take the next step in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go after this one! Thank you for all your kudos and comments :)

The next time Cas woke up, it was with something hot and hard sliding against his ass and lower back; instinctively he pressed back against it, and as soon as he stirred, a hand reached around and began to stroke his cock.

‘This OK?’ Dean whispered.

‘Yes, god yes,’ Cas moaned. Dean continued to rub against him, nibbling the back of Cas’s neck and quickly increasing his pace.

‘So close,’ he panted. ‘Fuck, yes, so close.’ A few more thrusts of his hips and Cas felt the warmth spreading between them as Dean came. ‘Get on top of me,’ he ordered, releasing his hand so Cas could sit up and straddle Dean’s legs. Dean started stroking again as soon as Cas was leaning over him, eyes fixed on Cas’s cock. ‘Come for me, Cas. Come on me.’ It only took another minute and Cas again found himself shooting all over Dean’s stomach and chest. ‘Fuuuucking hell. Why is that so hot?’ Dean groaned.

‘I know why I like it, but I am a bit surprised that it’s a kink for you.’

‘You’re not the only one,’ Dean admitted. ‘Why do you like it?’

Cas blushed. ‘I guess… it feels like making a claim. That you’re mine.’

Dean smiled and pulled Cas’s shoulders down. ‘I think that’s why I like it too.’ Cas moaned and claimed Dean’s mouth roughly as Dean’s fingers tangled into Cas’s hair. The kiss was enthusiastic, but the cooling mess between them and on Cas’s back reminded them that nothing further was going to be happening any time soon. ‘Shower?’ Dean suggested when Cas let him come up for air.

‘Good idea. Let me get the worst of it off.’ Cas grabbed some tissues for the purpose before climbing off to let Dean get up. He looked more bow-legged than usual and winced a bit with the unexpected soreness.

‘Oh man. That was some ride last night. Maybe I should have taken yoga classes when Lisa offered to teach me.’

‘It’s never too late. I could think up all sorts of new ways to fuck you if you were bendier.’ The smirk accompanying this remark quickly died when Cas realised that they hadn’t discussed whether Dean would want to bottom again, and he felt guilty for making assumptions. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas and began planting soft kisses on his lips.

‘I’m looking forward to you fucking me six ways to Sunday, but something tells me that asking my ex-girlfriend to make me bendier for my boyfriend breaks a whole bunch of social etiquette rules.’

‘You’re right. We’ll buy a DVD to do it at home.’

_Mid-February_

The weekend before Valentine's Day was Mrs. Novak's eightieth birthday party, but as Dean had to work, Cas headed to Wichita on his own. Before he left, Dean had commandeered his laptop for half an hour, and then handed him two boxes, telling him not to open them until he was alone in his room at home. 'Does your mom's place have ADSL?'

'Yes, Sam and Hannah still live there and need it for school.'

'Good. I'm working until eleven tonight, I'll text you when I'm ready to chat.' After a prolonged goodbye kiss, Castiel had finally managed to leave, and made it to Wichita for dinner with his family. He felt time dragging; he was curious about what Dean had done with his laptop, and what was in the box, but he didn't get a chance to find out until his mother and siblings had retired well after ten.

When he finally got to his room, Castiel started by opening the boxes. Inside the smaller one was what looked like a little camera with a USB cable, presumably a webcam, and in the larger one a headset with a microphone. When he started up his laptop, he noticed a new program called Skype. He opened it and found that he was already automatically logged in and had one contact: Impala67. Looking around the program, it seemed to be video chatting software, so he plugged in the webcam and waited for Dean. Around eleven-thirty, he finally got a text.

 

**Hey :) Figure out Skype yet?**

**_I'm signed on now. It's a video chat?_ **

**Yep. I'll just sign on and call you.**

 

A few moments later, a jingle began to play and the program notified him of an incoming call. He answered it, and magically, there was Dean's smiling face, wearing a matching headset.

'Hey Cas! Can you see me?'

'Yes! Can you see me?'

'Yep! Is your door locked?'

Castiel jumped up to do so. 'It is now.'

'Good.' Dean winked and moved back from his webcam; that's when Castiel realised that Dean was in bed, completely naked. 'Like the view?' Dean asked, beginning to lazily stroke his already-hard dick.

'I think I love video chat,' Cas groaned.

'I'd love it more if you joined me.'

Castiel quickly stripped down and moved his laptop with him to the bed, angling the webcam on his desk to get in a full view. 'How's that?'

Dean licked his lips in appreciation. 'Real good. Not as good as the real thing, but pretty damn good.'

'You're gorgeous,' Castiel whispered as he began to tease himself to hardness. 'Wish I could you touch you.'

'Mmm, yeah, tell me what you'd do to me if you were here, Cas.'

'I'd have you flat on your back, kiss my way down your body, and then take you into my mouth.'

Dean began to stroke faster. 'I bet you would. You love sucking my dick.'

'I do. I love how you look at me when I'm going down on you. I love the taste of you.'

'Would you make me come that way?'

'No. While I was sucking you down, I'd use my fingers to open you up, and just as you got to the edge, I'd take my mouth off you and start fucking you instead.' Dean moaned and sped up his pace again. 'I'd fuck you long and slow, and make you come untouched.'

'Fuck, Cas, yeah,' Dean panted, his hand a blur. Cas was now completely hard, and he started to stroke with intent. 'Would you come inside me then?'

'No. I'd pull out at the last second and come all over your chest and face.'

That did it for Dean, who let out a long, gruff moan as he shot over his stomach. 'Jesus Cas, you filthy motherfucker.'

Cas didn't reply; he was too busy focusing on the last bits of come oozing out of Dean's cock, picturing himself cleaning it off with his tongue, and finally going over the edge himself. 'Oh, yes, Dean!' he breathed out as quietly as he could.

'Was it good for you?' Dean asked with a cheeky grin.

'I definitely love video chat,' Cas replied as he cleaned himself off. 'Thanks for the surprise.'

'My pleasure. Same time tomorrow?'

'Absolutely. But it'll be your turn to do the talking.'

'Hell yeah. Now go to sleep, you've got serious partying to do tomorrow. Give your mom a hug from me.'

'I will. Hope your shift isn't too terrible tomorrow. Stay safe.'

'Always. Love you.'

'Love you too, Dean. Goodnight.'

 

_Valentine's Day_

Dean dreamed about wet heat, about fingers and lips and tongues, and a moan escaped his lips. 'Dean,' came a rough whisper from somewhere, and then the feeling of-

'Cas,' he moaned again as he realised he wasn't dreaming. Cas couldn't answer, as his mouth was a bit busy being wrapped around Dean's dick, but he did grab a piece of red cardboard from beside him on the bed; it said 'Happy Valentine's Day!' in Castiel's handwriting, and was covered in badly-drawn hearts and smiley faces. 'Happy Valentine's Day to you too,' Dean panted as he writhed and gripped Castiel's hair. 'Oh fuck, baby, that's so good!' Castiel upped his pace and took Dean deeper. Dean barely had time to cry out a warning before he came down Castiel's throat.

'Happy Valentine's Day,' Castiel said when he could talk again, and moved up to straddle Dean's hips. 'How do you want me?'

'You know how.'

'Lend a hand?' Cas asked with a grin. Dean happily complied, jerking Cas hard and fast until he came all over Dean's stomach.

'Thanks, Cas. Good present.'

'I also got you a book.'

Dean laughed and cleaned himself off. 'Thanks. I got you something too, but we have to go out to get it.'

After a quick shower, they got dressed and drove out to Ash's salvage yard. The mulleted one himself met them at the office, grabbed a set of keys and showed them over to a blue Ford Escort.

'There you go, Dean, she's all ready to go.'

Dean took the keys from Ash and handed them to Cas with a proud grin. 'Well, what do you think?'

Cas was shocked. 'You got me a _car_?'

'Don't get too excited, Cas, it's only a Ford.'

'Dean, this is far too much, you can't just give me a _car_!'

'Dude, it really isn't that big a deal. It was an insurance write-off, Ash got it for a song and it just needed a few panels and some TLC. It didn't even come to four figures.'

'I gave you a book and a blow job,' Castiel replied weakly. 'You got me a freaking car.'

'Hey, it was a damn good blow job. And look, it's not entirely selfless. It gets me out of driving your ass around all the time.'

'You love driving and you love my ass,' Castiel said grumpily.

'Damn right I do. But I know you don't like being so dependent on me. I can't do a lot, but cars I can do. Plus I couldn't risk you choosing your own car again, look what happened last time.'

'I drove that car for years before it stopped working,' Castiel protested.

'It was gold, Cas. And your brother drives a gold PT Cruiser. Those genetics are too risky.'

'What's wrong with gold cars?'

'See? You don't even know what's wrong with gold cars!' Dean exclaimed as if Castiel's statement just proved his point. 'I have a reputation to maintain, Cas. I can't be seen to be fucking someone who drives a gold car.'

Castiel smiled. 'You're ridiculous.'

'The word you're looking for is sexy.'

**********

Still feeling guilty about the imbalance in their Valentine's Day gifts, Castiel decided this would be a good opportunity to act on the secret fantasy Dean had confessed in December. After a bit of searching, he found a supplier he liked, and placed his order with rush delivery. It arrived the day before they were due to attend yet another birthday party at The Roadhouse, this time Jo's, and that gave Castiel a particularly good idea.

He gave Dean his gift the next morning before they'd even gotten out of bed. Dean had just about forgotten their conversation in Wichita between Christmas and New Year, but it all came rushing back when he opened a fancy gift box to find a pair of emerald green satin panties.

'Holy shit,' he whispered as his fingers stroked the silky fabric.

'Do you like them?' Castiel asked nervously.

'They're awesome,' Dean assured him somewhat breathlessly. 'Do you like them?'

'I'll like them better on you.'

'Do you want me to try them on now?'

'Hell yes,' Castiel growled.

Dean got up, stripped off his boxers, and pulled the scrap of green fabric up his legs. They had a generous cut, covering a good proportion of his ass, and he was surprised to find enough space in front even as he started getting hard. 'Where'd you get these?'

'From an online store that specialises in women's style underwear for men.' That explained the design features. 'How do they feel?'

'Nice,' Dean admitted. 'How do they look?' Castiel replied by pulling back the sheet and blanket to show off his erection. 'Well how 'bout that?' Dean smirked.

'Turn and look in the mirror,' Castiel urged, and Dean spun around to check himself out in the mirror attached to the bedroom door.

'Holy shit,' he said again.

'Do you like them?'

'Oh, I fuckin' like them, Cas,' Dean replied, turning again and making his way back to the bed. 'I like them a lot. What do you say we ruin them?'

Castiel kept him at arm's length and shook his head. 'I want you to wear them to the party so I can spend all night picturing you in them.'

'Are you serious?'

'I mean, we could ruin them right now. But just think how good it will be if you've been wearing them all night, feeling the satin on your skin, with just the two of us knowing that you're wearing them and what we're going to be doing afterwards.'

Dean swiftly removed the panties and threw them over his shoulder. 'Deal. But I need to take the edge off right now if I don't want to come in my pants later.' He grabbed the lube from the nightstand and slicked them both up, pushing his hips against Castiel's and wrapping his hand around both of them.

'You're so good at forward planning,' Castiel gasped.

'Oh, I've got all sorts of plans for you,' Dean promised, but Castiel decided that he'd had enough talking; he kissed Dean to shut him up until they were both breathless and covered in come. Dean rolled onto his back and laughed. 'And that was just from me wearing them for a couple of minutes. What's it going to be like tonight?'

'We should probably put down some towels.'

 

The party was fun, but to say that Dean and Castiel were distracted would be an understatement. Every time he moved, Dean could feel the satin against his skin, and he would sigh without even realising it; Castiel noticed these occasions, and it only increased his own excitement. They still somehow managed to stay for a respectable amount of time, and when they did finally leave, Castiel restrained himself from doing anything more than lightly palming the front of Dean's jeans as he drove.

They made it back to Dean's house without any incidents, and even managed to get inside the door before Castiel grabbed Dean by the waistline of his jeans and thrust the other hand down the back to feel the satin of the panties.

'Oh my god,' he groaned. 'I've been thinking about you in these all night. Having you wear these to the party was a mistake. I should have locked you in the bedroom and had my way with you all day instead.'

'You have me now. What are you gonna do with me?' Dean asked seductively.

'I am going to trash those sweet little panties of yours,' Castiel replied, dragging Dean to the bedroom by one hand.

'Seems a shame, they're so pretty,' Dean teased.

'Don't worry, I bought three more and special detergent for delicates.'

'Now who's the forward planner?'

'Shut up and strip,' Castiel ordered, starting to pull off his own clothes as well.

'Mmm, bossy,' Dean said, nonetheless obeying the instructions until he was just in the panties. Castiel closed the distance between them and dropped to his knees, mouthing over the satin. Dean threw his head back, loving the mixed sensations of the clingy satin and the wet heat of Castiel's mouth. 'Fuck, I've been half hard all night. This isn't gonna take long.'

'Go ahead,' Castiel replied, standing up and rubbing his hand along Dean's length. 'We'll have a little break and then get one of the other pairs so I can fuck you while you're wearing them.'

Dean moaned. 'I'm thirty now, Cas, you think I can still get it up three times in one day?'

Castiel's hand sped up. 'No time like the present to find out. Come on, Dean- ruin these panties for me.' Within a few more strokes, Dean was coming, making not just the panties but also Castiel's hand a wet mess. Dean got on his knees with the intention of reciprocating, but at the first touch of his fingers, Castiel came onto a surprised Dean's face and neck. 'Shit! Dean, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise I was that close! Fuck, I'm so sorry!'

Dean blinked and licked his lips. 'I am not going to have any problem getting it up again,' he stated firmly.

'What- wait, did you _like_ that?' Castiel asked breathlessly. Of course he knew that Dean liked it when it was his stomach or chest, but the face was a whole different level.

'Looks like I am a seriously kinky mofo, Cas.'

'And I am definitely not complaining.'

 

_March_

One Thursday evening, Castiel opened the door of his apartment to find an envelope that had been pushed under the door, and of course Dean took the opportunity to smack him on the ass when he bent over to pick it up. The smile that caused quickly faded when he read the contents.

‘Shit.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s from my landlord. My lease is up in 2 months, and he’s putting the rent up by fifty dollars a month. It’s already tight at the current rent, I can’t afford an extra $600 a year.’

‘Oh no, I’m sorry Cas.’ Cas folded up the notice and sighed.

‘I guess I’ll have to look for a new place to live. Dammit.’

‘Um,’ Dean began, clearing his throat nervously. ‘You could just… I mean, you’re already there a lot anyway, and my mortgage is the same as your rent, so it would be cheaper for both of us to split it, so maybe you could… you know… just… move in with me?’

‘Really? Are you sure?’

‘Yeah, definitely. I’d kinda been thinking about it anyway. You’re barely ever here lately, and half the time you just come by to pick up clothes; most expensive closet ever. I live closer to the station, so it would be an easier commute for you even on the bus if we have different shifts, and I own the place, so there’s more security than renting. We’d both save money, so that would speed up what we could afford to do with the remodelling of the house.’

‘That all makes sense.’

‘Oh, and also I love you and I want you to live with me so that I can fall asleep and wake up next to you for like, forever.’ Cas smiled and wrapped his arms around Dean.

‘That sounds good too.’

‘Blow job to seal the deal?’ Dean asked brightly.

‘Who gets the blow job?’

‘Well, it’s a pretty big commitment, so we should probably take turns just to be sure.’

Some time later, Cas gave the landlord his notice, and they spent the rest of the evening deciding what would go to Dean’s house and what would be sold or given away. They decided that Cas’s bedroom set and some bookshelves would be good for a guest bedroom and living room, but all the other furniture would go.

‘It’s a bit of a shame,’ Cas said when they’d made their decisions. ‘We never really had much sex in this apartment.’

‘No time like the present, Cas,’ Dean said. ‘This room’s covered, and we’ve done it in your bedroom; how about we do the kitchen next, and finish off in the shower for easy cleanup?’

‘I admire your efficiency and positive attitude, Winchester. Let’s get to it.’

**********

The next night, Dean insisted they go out for a celebratory drink at The Roadhouse. Ellen raised an eyebrow when they ordered champagne instead of their usual beer. 'What's the occasion, boys?' she asked as she poured two glasses.

'Cas is movin' in!' Dean said cheerfully, putting his arm around Castiel's shoulders and pulling him in to kiss the top of his head.

'Well congratulations! Lemme just go grab an ice bucket for this.'

Dean handed Castiel a glass and proposed a toast. 'To our future home.'

Castiel clinked his glass and smiled. 'That sounds nice.'

Dean leaned over and whispered in Castiel's ear, 'I love you,' and gave him a peck on the cheek.

'Love you too,' Cas murmured before Dean pulled back to sip his drink. They turned to lean their backs against the bar and observe the Friday night crowd. There was a bachelorette party taking up a large section of the room, and judging by the looks, whispers and giggles among them, they had noticed the two handsome men at the bar. After a few minutes, a tipsy woman who looked to be the bride walked, or rather stumbled, towards them.

'Hi!' she greeted them brightly. 'I'm getting married next week!'

'Congratulations!' Dean said, raising his glass to her, and Cas imitated the action.

'Sooo… this is kind of my last chance to kiss other boys,' she said suggestively looking back and forth between them, as if not sure where to start.

'Oh, well, if it's your last chance…' Dean said with a grin and winked at Cas.

'That does sound serious,' Cas agreed.

The bride-to-be clapped her hands gleefully. Her eyes darted over them again, and she seemed to make a choice. She threw herself at a surprised Dean, pulling him into a sloppy open-mouthed kiss with plenty of tongue. His eyes widened with surprise, and he looked to Cas for rescue. The latter was smirking, but not for long; as soon as she released Dean, she grabbed Cas and gave him the same treatment. The rest of the bachelorette party clapped and cheered as she made her way back to the table.

'That was interesting,' Dean said, shaking his head. 'I think we made her night.' The group of women were still giggling and waving at them.

'How about we give them a show to really make their night?' Cas suggested. Dean grinned and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him into a kiss only slightly less sloppy than that of the drunk bachelorette. They could hear the gasps from the girls, followed by more cheering and catcalling. 'Mmm, god you're hot.'

'Look who's talking.' They pulled apart and finished their glasses, topping them up from the bottle Ellen had put on ice for them. The bachelorette party eventually moved on, waving and blowing them kisses on their way out. The boys waved back and chuckled softly to themselves. After a few minutes of silence, Dean asked, 'Do you ever miss boobs?'

Castiel looked surprised at the question, and after a moment's thought replied, 'Sometimes. You?'

'Sometimes.'

Cas smiled, and specifically waited until Dean was taking a sip from his glass. 'We could always call Meg to join us, I think it would be a dream come true for her.' Dean's choking splutter was very satisfying, and Cas kindly patted his back until he could breathe again.

'I think I'm about done celebrating.' Dean gulped down the last of his champagne and grabbed Castiel's hand. 'Let's go.'

They practically ran to the Impala, and Dean drove as quickly as was legal back to his house. As soon as they were in the door, Dean pushed Castiel against it and claimed his mouth. The kiss was rough and frantic, and once they got into the bedroom, so was the fucking. Cas got on all fours, and Dean pounded into him like a man possessed, reaching an arm around to jerk him off with just as frantic a pace. Cas came hard, screaming Dean's name as his body shook.

Afterwards, Dean was tender, cleaning Cas up and spreading gentle kisses all over his skin. 'I love you. I'm sorry if I was too rough.'

'Don't worry, Dean, it felt good. Are you OK?'

Dean flopped onto his back. 'Yeah. I just really fuckin' wanted you.' He opened his arms and Castiel draped himself over Dean's chest.

'Dean… if you ever found yourself needing something I can't give you, will you promise to talk to me about it first?'

Dean lifted his head, nudging Cas to look up at him. 'Huh?'

'Would you? Talk to me, before doing anything about it?'

'Is this about the boobs question?'

'Sort of.'

'It was just a dumb hypothetical, Cas. I don't need boobs to survive.'

'That wasn't my question.'

Dean put a hand on Castiel's face and looked him in the eye. 'Yes, I would talk to you if I was feeling unsatisfied in any way.'

Cas relaxed back onto his chest. 'Thanks, Dean.'

'So it was about the boobs thing.'

'It's not just that. It's… Dean, you're everything; my entire life is centred around you. I didn't really know anybody here before I met you, and all the people I know now were introduced to me _by_ you. I go to _your_ favourite bar, I watch _your_ favourite movies, I ride in _your_ car, and now I'm going to live in _your_ house. If I lost you, I would lose everything, and that's kind of a scary place to be.'

'Whoa, hey. Cas, I may have introduced everyone to you, but they're your friends too now- your family. If anything happened with us, they wouldn't just abandon you. They're not like that.'

'I know, but do you think I could stand to go to The Roadhouse without you? Hang out with Sam and Charlie? Everything would remind me of you, and it would hurt too much.'

'Cas, you're kind of scaring me here. You sound like you think I'm gonna ditch you. It's more likely to be the other way around.'

Castiel's head popped up and tilted as he looked at Dean questioningly. 'Why would you think that?'

'Do you know how long we were together before I told Lisa that I loved her?' Castiel shrugged. 'Eight months.'

'That long?'

'Yeah. It took me less than two months to say it to you. I never felt ready to move in with Lisa, even with Ben in the picture. I could barely wait to have you here with me. I know this has only been a thing for a few months, but I think our whole friendship counts too. You and me, man… I've never had a friend like you, and I've never had a relationship like ours. I know you still think the whole sexuality thing is some kind of ticking time bomb, and I don't really know how else to explain to you that it's not, except to say… you're it for me, Cas. You're just… _it_.'

Castiel was too emotional too speak, so he put his mouth to much better use, kissing Dean with all the strength of feeling that speech had created. Dean kissed back, wrapping his arms tightly around Castiel's bare back, and then rolling them so Dean was on top.

'I love you, Cas. I'm not gonna lie, I'm always gonna like boobs. But just like I wouldn't run around on a girl I was with, I'm not gonna run around on you. I never would've pictured myself with a dude before, but you're my best friend, and you make me happier than anybody has ever made me.'

'It's the same for me, Dean. Exactly the same. I love you.' They kissed and cuddled a bit longer, until Cas nudged a semi-unconscious Dean for them to get ready for bed. Dean brushed his teeth groggily and climbed back into bed. Cas curled up as the little spoon and sighed contentedly.

'By the way,' Dean said once the lights were off. 'If we _did_ ever have a threesome with a chick, it would sure as fuck not be _Meg_.'


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thank you for accompanying me on my first Destiel long fic. I had a lot of fun writing this, and am still slightly amazed I managed to wring so much plot out of just wanting to get Cas and Dean to make out after watching Brokeback Mountain! A million thanks to athaclena for her stellar beta duties, which went well beyond proofreading to helping me choose between versions of scenes and which direction to take certain plot elements.  
> Enjoy!

_Late April_

The last repairs were completed in the house by the middle of April, so Dean and Castiel took a Saturday to go to the mall for the finishing touches of interior decorating. They were walking through the home furnishings section of the local department store when they were stopped by a familiar voice.

'Well, if it isn't my favourite little tree-topper and his boy toy.'

Castiel turned around first. 'Hello Meg. How are you?'

'Oh, I'm fine, Clarence. And I can see that you're still fine,' she replied with a smirk. Dean huffed and rolled his eyes. 'Oh, you're looking good too, Deano.'

'Gee, thanks Meg. Don't you have somewhere to be?' he asked testily.

'Nowhere at all. So, you boys shopping for cushions?' she asked, snaking an arm around Castiel's elbow.

'Yes. We finished fixing the house and are just furnishing the last rooms now.'

Meg raised an eyebrow. 'We? What, have you moved in already?'

Dean smirked as Cas took his arm back and replied, 'Not everyone is a commitment-phobe.'

'Touché. You can't be too bitter about that, though. If we had worked out, you and loverboy here wouldn't be playing house now, would you?' She crossed her arms and looked at them questioningly. 'Or would you?'

'No,' Cas replied with a frown. 'Whatever your fevered imagination might have thought.'

'Oh, my fevered imagination can come up with all sorts of fascinating thoughts, Clarence. _All_ sorts.' She looked back and forth between them and licked her lips suggestively. 'How about we go back to your place and I can tell you about them?'

Dean grabbed Castiel's hand possessively and began stomping away. 'Fuck off, Meg. Come on, Cas.'

'Uh, bye Meg.'

'Bye boys,' Meg waved. Dean didn't look back and didn't say a word all the way to the car. They walked the short distance to the Impala and loaded up the back seat. Dean started the engine and pulled out of the space.

'So that was interesting,' Castiel said when they were nearly home.

Dean gripped the steering wheel more tightly than necessary to make the turn onto their street. 'What?' was all he was able to spit out.

'Running into Meg. Clearly she hasn’t changed a bit. Still obsessed with you and me fucking, although at least she's right this time,' Cas chuckled.

'Seemed like she's still obsessed with joining us too,' Dean said as he pulled into the garage.

Cas stepped out and took the bags from the back seat. 'She did always think it would be hot.'

By now they were inside the house, and Dean barely gave Castiel time to take off his jacket before slamming him against the nearest wall and claiming his mouth in a hungry kiss. It was over as quickly as it had begun, because Dean decided to drag Castiel upstairs instead. Once in the bedroom, Dean all but ripped off his clothes, t-shirt, jeans and boxers thrown to the floor, and then he turned his attention to Castiel. His clothes received as little consideration, and before he knew it, he was on his back on the bed with Dean two fingers deep and kissing him with wild abandon. A third finger was added; then a few moments later, they were all pulled out and Castiel was manhandled onto all fours. He heard Dean squeeze the lube and the sounds of him slicking up his cock, but a memory of a similar occasion had Castiel pulling away before Dean could get it anywhere near his entrance.

'Dean, wait. I don't want… not like this.'

Dean sat back on his haunches with a worried expression on his face. 'Not like what?'

'Not… not when you're thinking about sex with women.'

'Huh?'

'Come on, Dean. The last time you were like this with me was after the bachelorette at the bar, and now after what Meg said…'

Dean stared, then smiled, as if Castiel had just told a joke. 'Jesus, Cas. Is that what you think this is about?'

'It's just a coincidence that you want to fuck me in a position where you can't see the rest of me at the same time that the thought of sex with women comes up?'

The smile disappeared, and Dean sighed. 'You adorable idiot. I can see where you're getting that, but you're way off track. What was the other common denominator of tonight and that night at the bar?'

Castiel thought about it, but the only thing he could think of was- 'Meg?' Dean gave him a meaningful look, but that only made Castiel's frown deepen. 'You really are interested in a threesome with Meg?'

'No, I'm fucking not, but you sure seem to be.'

'Me?' Castiel asked, head tilt and squint belying his confusion. 'Why do you think that?'

'You keep bringing it up!'

'Wait… is this… were you going to jealousy fuck me?'

'Hell yes I was going to jealousy fuck you! I wanted you to forget stupid Meg and feel me for a week!' Dean shouted.

'So that position…'

'Better leverage. I can fuck you harder and deeper from that angle. All part of the make you feel me for a week strategy.'

'Oh. Why would you be jealous of Meg?'

'Dude, I remember what happened the last time you just happened to run into Meg. Sorry if I'm a bit insecure.'

Castiel didn't immediately get the reference, and then realised that he meant the time they'd met up at The Roadhouse after one of their break-ups and had sex in her car. Ah, yes, perhaps he could see why Dean might feel a bit insecure.

'I don't know, man,' Dean continued. 'I just hated seeing her all close up and touchy-feely with you. You went out with her for like, almost two years, put up with so much shit from her, when she wasn't anywhere near good enough for you, because you were so obsessed with fucking her. I just… when the threesome thing came up again, I thought maybe you were trying to actually make it happen, because you missed being with her. I thought maybe you were still kind of in love with her or something.' Castiel felt a rush of affection; all this time he was still feeling insecure about Dean's sexuality, and it turned out that Dean was feeling the same way. He grabbed Dean's face with both hands and looked into his eyes.

'I don't want a threesome with Meg. I don't miss her. And I never loved her.'

'What?' Dean seemed genuinely surprised.

'I was never in love with Meg. I had fun with her, and yes, the sex was great, but we never exchanged I love yous. By the time we broke up for good, I honestly didn't care whether I ever saw her again.'

'How could you be together that long without loving someone? Not to sound like a chick flick, but wasn't it kind of unsatisfying emotionally?'

Castiel thought for a moment; grinned; chuckled; and then he was in hysterics, flopping onto his back as the laughter racked through him. Dean looked at him like he was some kind of axe-murdering maniac, but the epiphany was just too funny. Eventually he managed to get his breath back, and he pulled Dean into his arms.

'Sorry, what you said just made me realise- yes, if I'd been dependent on Meg for intimacy and affection, it would have been very emotionally unsatisfying not to have love. But actually, I had intimacy and affection that whole time. Just not from her.'

'Dude, you had a bit on the side and didn't tell me?'

'No, Dean. I'm talking about _you_. Our friendship supplied everything that was missing from my relationship with Meg, so I was quite content.'

'Seriously?'

'Yes. That's what's so funny. Meg was jealous of you because she suspected a physical relationship, but it was our emotional intimacy that was the real threat. I could never confide in her like I could with you. You always meant more to me than she did.'

Dean propped his chin up on Castiel's chest to face him. 'Charlie thought Meg didn’t like me because she thought you'd choose me over her.'

'Without hesitation.'

'Yeah, now.'

'At any point. If she had given me an ultimatum, I would always have chosen you and our friendship over anything she could offer.'

'Holy shit, Cas. That's awesome. You're freakin' awesome.' Dean paused, considering the gravity of what he wanted to say next. 'Cas… I'm glad I crashed that night.'

'What?'

'I'm serious, man. I mean, maybe we would have met another way, but it wouldn't have been the same. We wouldn't have become friends as fast, there wouldn't have been the same kind of connection, you know? So if it took me almost dying and poor Baby getting smashed to within an inch of her life for us to have this now, that's fine with me. I'll throw Fate a fuckin' party, because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and it was all worth it.'

'Dean… I… wow. I don't even know what to say. That was so… romantic.'

Dean grinned. 'I know, get Nicholas Sparks on the phone, right? Romantic son of a bitch right here.'

Castiel pulled him closer for a kiss. 'Sexy son of a bitch too.'

Dean readjusted his position so that he was lying fully on top of Cas and began grinding their hips together. 'So can I fuck you now?'

Cas wrapped his legs around Dean's waist. 'Yes please.'

 

**Epilogue**

_June 26, 2015_

It was a rare Friday off for Dean, so Cas decided to take a vacation day as well. They had slept in and were having a late breakfast when Dean’s phone buzzed with a news update. As he read it, his eyes grew wide and his smile even wider. ‘Holy shit!’

‘What?’ Dean showed Cas the screen of his phone. ‘Holy shit!’ Cas cried as he grabbed the phone to get a better look. The headline was what so many people had been hoping for: _Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide_. ‘This is wonderful news!’

‘It’s awesome! Hey, uh, I’ll be right back, gotta pee.’ Cas nodded absently, reading through the live updates to the story as they were posted. Dean ran to the bedroom and dug around in his underwear drawer until he found what he was looking for- a small box containing the ring he’d bought in anticipation of just this result. Taking a deep breath, he put his hands behind his back, walked back out to the living room and-

Cas was down on one knee holding a ring and looking utterly sappy with misty eyes and a goofy smile. Dean began to laugh, which was not the reaction Cas had been expecting; Dean rushed over to where he was kneeling and joined him on the floor.

‘Guess we should have talked about this,’ he joked as he opened the box and presented it to Cas. This time Cas joined him in the laughter. ‘When did you buy yours?’

‘January, when the Supreme Court decided to hear the case. You?’

‘April, when they heard the oral arguments.’

‘In that case, I think I get to go first. Dean Winchester, will you marry me?’ Dean scratched his chin for a moment, pretending to ponder the question.

‘Yeah, I think I will,’ he grinned. Cas put the ring on his finger, and Dean sealed the bargain with a kiss. ‘Cas Novak, will you marry me?’

‘You bet your sweet ass I will,’ he growled, grabbing said body part and pulling him close. ‘By the way, sealing the deal with me will take more than a kiss. A _lot_ more.’

‘Ooh, Cas, I get all tingly when you take control like that. What did you have in mind?’ Cas raised an eyebrow.

‘Well, you’re already conveniently on your knees…’

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Strangers in the Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17187533) by [supernatural9917](https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernatural9917/pseuds/supernatural9917)




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